


Save Your Soul

by TheTwoFlamingos



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff, OCC - Freeform, Out of Character, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 03:59:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5402237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTwoFlamingos/pseuds/TheTwoFlamingos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Raymond Reddington, a wealthy business man, meet Elizabeth Keen, with the FBI at a gala event. Their eyes meet and sparks fly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately we do not own any of the characters nor do we make any money off our stories. We do this simply because we LOVE The Blacklist!!!

Elizabeth Keen hated events like this, she always felt like she didn’t belong among the socialites of the city. Sure she was pretty, maybe even beautiful, but compared to some of the women who attended these functions she was an ugly duckling. At least that’s how she felt. Alas she had to be present at this shindig. It was being put on by the city and every agency had to send a division to represent them. This time her task force drew the short stick.

Liz stood in her room in front of the mirror appraising herself. It was a formal affair so she opted for the red one shoulder cocktail dress. She decided to keep her hair down since she had been growing it out, the chocolate brown tresses fell gently just below her shoulders. She skipped the necklace and settled on a simple pair of diamond earrings and matching bracelet, the only gift her cheating ex-husband ever gave her. Satisfied with her attire she slipped on her black stilettos, grabbed the matching clutch and headed out the door to the waiting cab.

Arriving at the gala she confidently walked into the ballroom looking for her team. She can feel the heated gazes of lustful men taking in her form as she made her way through the crowded room, not paying them any attention. She finally located Cooper, Ressler, Samar and Aram near the bar and quickly made her way over to them and immodestly ordered herself a glass of wine hoping to calm her nerves a bit.

Raymond Reddington absolutely loathed these galas. Being the private man he was, attending these functions made him feel terribly uncomfortable. He didn’t enjoy parts of his life being thrown in the spotlight. Not to mention the usual people would show up, business men looking to kiss his ass and try to contract business deals or attain monetary donations, and those woman who came on to him for the bragging rights and access to his wealth. It wasn’t like he was a bad looking man, granted at fifty he was no longer considered an Adonis, but he dressed well, kept himself in good shape and he was well groomed. He was getting tired of consorting with the same kind of women though, gold digging broads who were only good for an orgasm. He wanted something deeper, something more meaningful with a woman. He wanted THE woman, but she was proving to either be completely elusive, or non-existent.

Letting out a deep sigh, Red adjusted his bow tie, took one last look at himself and headed downstairs. He made a quick detour to his study, poured two fingers worth of scotch and quickly tipped it down his throat. Immediately the feeling of warmth from the alcohol flowed through his system, loosening him up enough to try and enjoy this evenings events. Besides, maybe something will happen which will make tonight at least a little worthwhile.

“Raymond it’s time to go.” Dembe announced from the doorway. Placing the glass on the tray he turned and looked at his best friend and body guard. He took his overcoat and fedora from Dembe’s out stretched hand and followed him out of the house into the waiting Mercedes.

Fifteen minutes later, Red stepped out of the car, entered the Gala and spent the next hour smiling, shaking hands and making polite conversation. Finally his good friend, Robert Waltz quietly informed him that his introduction and speech were coming up in ten minutes and for him to find his table.

Liz was quietly talking with her team near the bar when the announcement was made, stating that the event was about to begin. She quickly ordered another glass of wine to be brought over to her before making her way to their assigned table. She tried not to let out a sigh when she discovered that they were sitting right at the front. She took her place next to Ressler and his fiancé Audrey, looking around the table she tried not to feel depressed about being the only one at the table without a date. She wasn't allowed to dwell on the subject for too long however, the lights dimmed and Robert walked onto the stage.

“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight.” He paused to take a sip of water. “As most of you know, The Christoph Petersen Humanitarian award was created over five years ago, however tonight, for the first time ever we have finally found someone who truly embodies what this award if all about and tonight it is my greatest honour and privilege to introduce its very first recipient. We are all gathered here tonight to recognize the incredible work of Mr. Raymond Reddington. A man who has done an incalculable amount to help numerous charities and organizations across our great country. Mr. Reddington has spent the last two decades building schools, hospitals, clinics and youth centres across the nation. He has created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and introduced new technologies which make the lives of those in need much better. So without further ado it is with the utmost pleasure that I present the Christoph Petersen Humanitarian Award to my dear friend, Mr. Raymond Reddington.” The whole crowd rose in a standing ovation as Robert finished his introduction.

Red quickly climbed the stairs to the stage, plastering a smile on his face and made his way toward Robert. Reaching him, Red extended his hand for a shake and held himself in place for a quick photo. Smiling back at Red, Robert graciously handed him the award before moving off the stage.

“Thank you Robert, and thank you everyone for coming this evening. I want to thank the Christoph Petersen foundation for this generous accolade. I’m deeply honoured to be receiving this incredible award on behalf of my entire organization, because the good we have done over the years has been nothing short of a team effort. Working with and establishing new foundations and charities for good causes and those in need is something that is close to my-”

Throughout his speech, Red had been scanning the room with his eyes as proper speech giving protocol dictated. His speech had been going smoothly as expected, but she…she was not. When his eyes connected with Liz’s, his entire speech came to a stumbling halt. She was breathtaking he thought to himself, and there was something in her eyes that drew him in. He was lost, by just a single look. Hearing Robert clear his throat beside him, Red turned to look at him, then turned back to finish his speech.

Making eye contact with this mystery woman again he continued. “Close to my heart.” Pausing. Shaking his head he decided to cut his speech short because quite frankly he couldn't remember what else he wanted to say. Grabbing the award and lifting it in the air thanking everyone again and made his exit from the stage.

Having seen Red’s little performance on stage Dembe quickly pulled him aside. “Is everything okay Raymond?" He asked, scanning the crowd for a potential threat.

“Fine.” Red replied distractedly.

Across the room, Lizzie was stuck to her seat. _‘What just happened?’_ She asked herself.

Apparently everyone else at the table had noticed the little exchange cause when she reached for her wine glass everyone’s eyes were on her. “What the hell was that about?” The voice of Donald Ressler penetrated her distracted mind.

“I uh…I have no clue.” She took a generous sip of the Chardonnay.

The speech Mr. Reddington had been giving was going smoothly until his eyes landed on her, and then he stopped. The way he looked at her, she’s never been looked at like that by a man, and she didn't know how to interpret it. The moment their gazes locked on to each other, it was like the rest of the room faded out, and a slow burning heat started to radiate in her body starting low in her belly. This feeling was completely unknown to her. What she needed right now was air, so she looked around, spotting the open door to the balcony, quickly she got up and made her way to it. Throwing a silent thank you up to the powers that be that is was vacant. She needed to cool down and get a grip on herself, and she didn't need an audience.

As the applause wound down Red quickly and politely postponed the post-speech pictures, citing that he needed a breather and then he would be all theirs. When he saw her make her escape to the balcony he followed as quickly as he could, he wanted to catch her alone. He spotted her immediately, leaning on the railing of the balcony, he turned and nodded to Dembe who closed the door behind Red as he quietly made his way towards her.

“I must know your name.” He said as he approached her.

So caught up in the whirlwind going around in her head, she hadn't heard him approach. Hearing his deep voice behind her started her out of her thoughts, and she quickly turned her head to catch his gaze. The look he was giving her was not one she expected, it was warm, and genuinely curious. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, his question to her finally made its way to her brain.

“Elizabeth. Elizabeth Keen.”

“Elizabeth.” He repeated breathlessly as he held his hand out to her.

Slowly she reached her hand up to place in his. The electric shock she felt when her skin made contact with his caused her to let out a small gasp. Red was just as affected, his pupils dilating. Tightening his hand around hers he brought it to his lips placing a gentle kiss to the back of it. The feeling of his lips on her skin made a shock shoot straight from her hand to her groin, a wetness quickly pooling there.

“Raymond Reddington.” He said smoothly, his eyes

She gave him a smile. She had to give him credit, his gaze never strayed from her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Reddington. Congratulations on your big night.”

“I assure you, Elizabeth, that the pleasure is all mine. And please call me Red.”

Before more could be said, Dembe opened the doors. “Sorry Raymond but he was pretty instant.”

Donald Ressler stepped from behind Dembe. “Keen, there you…oh Mr. Reddington, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Red just waved him off. Lizzie looked at Ressler. “What’s up Ress?”

“Coopers looking for you.”

“I’m right behind you.” She turned back to Red. “I’m sorry but I need to take my leave. It was nice meeting you…Red.”

“Until next time Elizabeth.” She gave him a small smile and followed Ressler back to the table.

Red watched her walk away until she was swept away in the sea of people. Dembe approached him and followed his gaze. Red was mildly disappointed that she had left so quickly, he felt inexplicably drawn to her and wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to punch the ginger for interrupting them. Coming out of his musings, he caught Dembe smirking at him.

“What?” Red asked.

“That’s what happened during your speech, you saw her and froze.” Dembe replied in more of a statement than a question. He could see clear as day the emotions playing across Red’s face and couldn’t stop the upturn of his lips.

“Yeah.” Red breathed out, running his right hand over the close cropped hair to the back of his neck.

“Did you get her phone number?” Dembe asked. Seeing Red’s face immediately pale a bit, he realized his boss had missed a step.

“Shit.” Red said starting to head towards the door to go after her. Opening the door, he was greeted by a mob of reporters and journalists shoving microphones and recorders in his face bombarding him with question after question. Knowing full well that he was expected to give answers and make statements, he quickly closed the door back halting them in their steps. Turning back to Dembe, his face quickly becoming a thundercloud.

“I need you to find her my friend. Her name is Elizabeth Keen. Please find her.” Hopping the slight desperation in his voice wasn't as obvious to his body guard as it was to him. Dembe gave Red a small smile and nodded. Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and putting a fake smile on his face, he turned back to address the bloodthirsty hoard.

Forty-five minutes later and what felt like his life’s story divulged, Red was finally able to make his escape with Dembe and went home. Sitting in the back of the car, Red laid his head back on the headrest closing his eyes and letting out a calming breath. As soon as the tension left his shoulders and he was able to relax a bit, he thought about Lizzie.

 _‘Lizzie?’_ he thought to himself. _‘Where did that come from? Well her name is Elizabeth so it’s a justified nickname. I wonder if she likes to be called Lizzie. I like the name Lizzie. It feels right.’_

Relaxing in the back seat, he reflected on the simple beauty of Lizzie. Her ocean blue eyes and the way they lit up when they met his own, the softness of her skin when he held her hand, the unmitigated feeling of warmth and contentment that he felt when in her presence, the ivory hue of her skin in the moonlight. It’s been a long time since he was completely enraptured with a woman. Sure he sees beautiful women on a daily basis and has even dated some of them, but she was different. His Lizzie was different.

 _‘My Lizzie? Getting possessive a bit soon there don't you think?’_ He asked himself, but the immediate thought of her being another man’s Lizzie made an unexpected wave of jealousy and anger bubble up within him. He deemed jealousy to be a base emotion and thought of himself as being above that, but the idea of another man touching her, kissing her, making love to her… _‘Yea not a pleasant thought at all, best change directions’_. But he couldn’t. No matter what he tried to think about, upcoming business deals, the possible merger coming up, the new building he’s been thinking about erecting, his mind kept wandering to Lizzie. He had to find her and get to know her.

“Any luck on finding anything out on Elizabeth Keen?” He asked Dembe.

Dembe let out a small chuckle. “You’re lucky Jeff owed you a favour Raymond, I don’t think he was too happy to be woken up at this hour.” Red just gave him an expecting look. “She works with the FBI as a profiler, part of Harold Cooper’s task force. On such short notice that’s as much as I could get from him.”

“Well it’s a start.” Red lamented. “With her being a profiler and all, I hope I made a decent first impression. It’s been so long since I actually cared about what someone thought about me…” He trailed off hearing Dembe starting to laugh at him.

“What now?” He asked indignantly.

“You have it bad brother.” Dembe answered between chuckles. Knowing Dembe was right, Red just folded his arms across his chest and sat back with a huff.

“I will call Glen first thing in the morning and we’ll see what he can find on her.” Dembe finished settling back into a comfortable quiet.

“I don’t want her life story, at least not if she’s not telling it. Just see if he can find a place she frequents. I want to see her again but I don’t want to come off as a stalker. ” Red replied tiredly.

“Sure thing Raymond.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately we do not own any of the characters nor do we make any money off our stories. We do this simply because we LOVE The Blacklist!!!

It only took Glen three hours to produce the name and address of a little coffee shop that Elizabeth went to every morning on her way to work. It took Red only one hour to reschedule his business meeting near there in two days’ time, he wanted his plan to go off without a hitch.

Since the gala Liz couldn’t stop thinking of Red, which surprised her. Ever since she had caught her soon-to-be ex-husband between the legs of another woman she had sworn off men for a while, opting instead to focus on her career. Then she locked eyes with Red at gala and everything went to the hell, his grey-blue eyes seemed to peer right through her. She couldn’t deny that he was devilishly handsome in his tuxedo, and his voice was like liquid sex, so deep and sensual. She was so distracted with her thoughts that she didn’t notice the man in front of her until it was too late.

Red was sitting on the bench at the end of the block from Marta’s Coffee shop. He had been sitting there for half an hour before he got the word from Dembe that she had entered. He gave a quick nod to Dembe before folding up his paper. He waited unit he saw her holding the door for another patron before falling in step with Dembe and headed in her direction.

 _‘This may be easier to pull off than I had thought.’_ He mused as he noticed that she was distracted and not paying attention to where she was going.

Even though he knew it was coming, their collision still knocked the breath from his lungs. Her coffee hit the ground splashing on his shoes and pants. His hands came up to grab her hip as his fedora was knocked off his head. Her purse followed the coffee cup to the pavement, thankfully spilling none of its contents.

“Son of a-” Her words died in her throat as her blue eyes locked with his. “Oh Mr. Reddington. I’m so sorry I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

The smile that overtook his face was contagious. “Ahh Ms. Keen, what a pleasure to see you again. Please no need to apologize, I was too caught up in what Dembe was saying that I too was not paying attention to where I was going.”

Realizing his hands were still around her waist he gently pulled them back and bent down to pick up his hat, her purse and coffee cup. “I do believe I told you to call me Red.”

She accepted the purse with a shy smile. “Thank you Red.” She looked down and saw the coffee on his legs. “Oh no, I spilled my coffee all over you, I’m terribly sorry Red. Please you must-”

He held up his hand to silence her. “Elizabeth, please do not worry about my wardrobe. I assure you these are not the only pair of pants I own. Plus that’s what dry-cleaners are for.”

“At least allow me to pay for the dry cleaning Red.” He wanted to protest but the look in her eyes told him that if he did he would be offending her, so he simply nodded before turning to toss out the now empty cup.

“Raymond, I’m going to grab the car.” Dembe said, receiving a nod in return.

“You must allow me to buy you a new coffee Elizabeth.” She smiled at him and nodded. Offering her his arm they made their way to Marta’s. She took a quick moment to appreciate the way he looked, the grey three piece suit fit him in all the right places. He looked just as handsome as he did at the gala, maybe even more so with that matching fedora adorning his head.

After a few moments of silence Liz pipped up. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing in this neighbourhood? The projects doesn't seem like the kind of place you would frequent.”

He chuckled as he held the door open for her. “Actually I had business to attend to about a block from here. I heard about this coffee shop from another associate of mine and figured I’d check it out.”

“What kind of business?” The question was out before she could stop herself. A small blush crept onto her cheeks. “I’m sorry, my curiosity tends to run away from me. I apologize for prying.”

He let out a small laugh. _‘God she’s adorable when she blushes.’_ He took a moment to look her over, she was wearing a black pant suit that was well tailored to her body. The dark blue blouse underneath set off her eyes, her hair was loose, hanging just below her shoulder and he wanted to run his hands through it.

He ordered and payed for three coffees before answering her question. “There is a huge lot of land across the street from the park that is just sitting there. I’m thinking of purchasing it and either turning it into a recreation centre or a school or something that will benefit this community.”

“Oh wow, Red that would be amazing! A school would be wonderful. The only one around here is quite a ways away and even then it’s not the really the best.”

Red couldn’t help the warm feeling that spread though him as he watched her eyes light up. “Well then a school it is.” He grabbed the coffee tray and followed her out of the shop. He saw Dembe leaning against the hood of the car. “Do you have any pressing engagements at the moment Elizabeth?”

She shook her head. “No I was just on my way to work.” She took her coffee from him and took a hearty sip.

He handed Dembe a cup before tossing out the tray. “Then please allow me to drive you to work.”

“Oh no Red that’s not necessary, I’m sure you ha-” She stopped as her eye caught something on the street. In an instant the smile was gone from her face and a look of terror overcame her. Immediately Red was on alert, he followed her gaze and saw a man standing across the street glaring at them. The look on his face told Red that he was not happy what so ever that she was in Red’s company.

“On second thought I would very much appreciate a ride to work.” Her eyes never leaving the man across the street.

Without a second thought Red nodded and turned to Dembe. “Dembe we are going to drive Elizabeth here to work.”

Dembe nodded and held the door open for his employer. Quickly they climbed into the back seat and only when the car started moved did Liz let out a huge sigh.

“I don’t mean to pry, but who was that?” Red asked watching a range of emotions play across her face.

“My ex-husband.” Was all she offered, and Red didn’t push, instead he turned his attention to the front of the car, giving Liz her space.

The sound of Liz’s phone going off startled everyone in the car. Quickly she pulled it out and hit the ‘accept’ button when she saw the caller ID. “Good morning Agent Cooper sir…yes I’m on my way right now…what time is it…oh no I’m so sorry I had a run in on the street and had to go back home to change…yes Sir…understood. Oh, Sir hold on one second please.”

She looked at the hand that was asking for the phone before looking at Red’s face. “Give me the phone.”

She slowly handed her phone to him. “Harold, Raymond Reddington here…I’m wonderful how you?...How’s Charlene doing?...I’m glad to hear that, listen Harold it’s my fault Agent Keen is running late…yeah I wasn’t paying attention and we collided on the street…yes I’m bringing her to the office right now…of course Harold…goodbye.”

He hung up the phone and handed it back to her trying not to laugh at the look on her face. “How do you know my boss?”

“Harold Cooper and I go way back. I’m the reason he’s married to that wonderful woman of his.” Red looked back at her. “I apologize if I overstepped Elizabeth. I just couldn’t stand the thought of you getting into trouble because of me.”

“No, no it’s okay. You didn’t have to, but thank you for doing that.” She replies wistfully.

The rest of the car ride flew by in a companionable silence, save for Liz giving Dembe directions to her office. Each party lost in their thoughts. Red wanted to ask about her ex-husband but he knew that it would be too much too soon, and he didn’t want to mess this up. Dembe couldn’t help but notice that every now and then his employer would look over at Liz and smile. It had been a long time since Dembe had seen that smile and in turn it made him smile. As soon as they pulled up to the Post Office, Lizzie made a grab for the door handle, but she was stopped by Red’s hand on hers.

“Lizzie…I know we just met but I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner this evening?” He oozed confidence and that alone was enough to make her say yes. It had been over ten months since her divorce was finalized, and even though she had promised herself that she would wait at least a year before even considering dating again, there was something about this man that warmed her. She felt safe with him, she felt like she could trust him. She threw her reservations out the window and gave him a huge smile.

“I would love to Red.” She answered warmly, not a trace of hesitation. Hearing her say yes was like feeling the sun touch your face for the first time on a cold winter’s day. Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, Red returned her smile and squeezed her hand in his own.

“Great. I’ll pick you up at your place around six?”

“Perfect. I’ll see you later Red, and thank you for the coffee and the ride.” She said as she wrote down her address, handing it to him. She turned to open the door only to find Dembe beat her to the punch. Momentarily stunned by how well that went, Red almost forgot to respond.

“Yes Lizzie, I’ll definitely see you later, and you're most welcome.” A contagious warmth in his eyes. “Be safe today sweetheart.”

“You too.” She said softly as Dembe closed the door. As Liz walked away from the car, she could practically feel his piecing gaze burning into her back. The car didn't pull away until she was safely inside the elevator car. His last words to her had caused butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. _‘He called me Lizzie, told me to be safe and called me sweetheart’_. Shaking her head, not believing that this was actually happening.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Liz's first date...

“Raymond if you don’t stop pacing I’m going to tie you down.” Dembe said with slight annoyance in his voice.

They had gotten home about three hours ago, after running a ton of errands. Red had gone straight to his room to get ready for his date with Liz, he even called his manicurist to primp him. That was over an hour and a half ago. He was currently pacing back and forth in the living room. Every few minutes he would glance down at his watch and it was driving Dembe nuts.

“I’m sorry Dembe.” Red said sitting heavily in his favourite wing-back chair. “I just want it to be time already.”

Dembe couldn’t help the chuckle that came. “You’re acting like a teenager who’s going out on a date for the first time in his life.” He got up and poured Red two fingers worth of scotch.

“I can’t help it Dembe.” He accepted the drink with a nod. “I’ve never felt this way before. Not even with Madeline.” He took a hearty sip before continuing. “I mean god, I just meet Lizzie, I know next to nothing about her yet every time she crosses my mind I practically lose my shit.”

Dembe sat back down on the sofa and just watched his best friend tip the remaining liquor down his throat. Glancing at his watch Dembe was pleased to see that they only had fifteen more minutes before they had to leave. “Raymond, which car do you want to take today?”

Red looked at him with a slightly confused look before he remembered. “Oh right the Mercedes is in the shop.” Taking a moment Red mentally went through his small stash of cars. “Why don't we take the Rolls out this evening? She hasn't stretched her legs in quite a while.”

With a huge smile, Dembe excused himself to go retrieve the car and bring it around front. Red stood, made his way over to the mirror and for the hundredth time this evening checked himself over. Giving his tie a light tug, he palmed his fedora onto his head and headed out the door where Dembe was already waiting for him. The drive was normal enough, but Dembe kept looking in the rear-view mirror at his fidgeting boss. Red wasn't so much nervous about this evening as he was anxious, he wanted tonight to be perfect.

“Relax Raymond. All will go well.” Dembe says in a calming tone.

Red took a deep breath and felt his shoulders dip as he relaxed. Dembe always knew what to say to help calm him. Soon enough they pulled up outside her brownstone. Both men stepped out of the car, and Red made his way up to her door, knocking firmly. Standing there waiting for Lizzie to open the up, he felt a wave of confidence wash over him. Tonight was about Lizzie and himself, two people enjoying each other’s company and getting to know one another. He briefly wondered what she saw in an old man like him, but he quickly pushed that thought aside. He wasn’t about to give this up, not for the world.

 _‘My Lizzie’_ He thought to himself, a smile creeping on his face as he heard the dead bolt being unlocked. As soon as the door opened, Red’s breath caught in his chest. She stood there in a simple yet stunning sliver strapless cocktail dress. She decided to leave her hair down, which Red was more that okay with. He wanted to run his fingers through the wavy strands. The small tear drop diamond was the only piece of jewellery she opted to wear. Red had to physically stop himself from leaning forward, she was absolutely beautiful.

“Lizzie…you are just breathtaking.” He said breathlessly, his eyes communicating to her the sincerity of his words. Noticing his outstretched hand, she softly laid her hand in his. He brought her hand up to his mouth to place a gentle kiss to her knuckles. The intensity of his gaze on her and his words cause a heated blush to creep up her chest onto her cheeks, giving her a rosy complexion.

“Thank you Red. You look very handsome.” She replied steadily, her eyes appraising him from top to bottom, causing a warmth to spread in her lower belly. He had left the suit jacket at home, this time deciding to just wear black pants, a vest and tie with a crisp white dress shirt. With the black fedora on his head he looked like a nineteen-twenty’s Mafioso.

Feeling him pull her toward him and tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow brought her out of her musings. Smiling up at him, she let him lead her to the car. So caught up in Red, she didn't notice the car that was idling at the curb. Seeing the impressed look on Lizzie’s face, Red couldn’t help but pipe up.

“It’s a two thousand and fifteen…”

“Rolls Royce Ghost with a six point six litre V twelve twin turbo.” She finished for him. Clearly he wasn't expecting her to know this based on the look he was shooting her. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

“Yes. It is. You know your cars!” He replied taken back.

“My dad Sam was a big car nut. Growing up he made it his life’s mission to make sure I knew everything and anything about cars and how they worked. On the weekends he would take me to different car shows and exhibitions. I even helped him completely rebuild a cherry red sixty-eight Mustang fastback when I was younger. It was his pride and joy. So yea, I know a thing or two about cars.” She ended with a small chuckle.

Red’s eyes lit up at learning this Lizzie fact. Dembe held the door open for Lizzie as Red walked around to the other side, both climbing in and settling in the back seat of the car. On their way to the restaurant, Red couldn't help but smile at Lizzie’s car knowledge.

“I must say, I’m impressed Lizzie, most women don't really know the first thing about cars. Your dad is a very wise man.”

“Was. He passed a couple years back.” She said sadly.

“I’m sorry.” Red replied, wishing he had some water to wash down his foot. She smiled her thanks.

Her father’s passing had been really hard, it had just been her and Sam her whole life. Truth be told she still wasn't over her loss, his passing having left a large hole in her heart she feared would never be filled. That was until she met Raymond Reddington. Her meeting Red had been completely unexpected and a surprise, but a very pleasant surprise. The hole in her heart that her dads passing had left was only made worse by the betrayal of her ex-husband. She knew she owed Red an explanation for her behaviour this morning at seeing Tom, she just didn't want to ruin their evening with talk of that bastard. The feeling of Red’s hand settling on top of hers brought her out of her thoughts. Looking down at their joined hand then up at Red, she saw him looking at her thoughtfully, as if he was trying to figure out what she was thinking. Alas, he had no such power.

“We’re here sweetheart.” He said gently to her, looking past her at the restaurant. Dembe opened the door and they both exited the car. Liz had to stop from laughing when an enthusiastic valet came to take the keys, poor boy almost wet himself when Dembe gave him a dark look. Liz and Red made their way into Marcel’s.

They were greeted by a very busty blonde who seemed a little more eager to take Red’s hat than one should be. Liz snuck a glance at Red, she wanted to know what his reaction to the girl would be. She was very impressed to see that his eyes never wavered to her chest. _‘Maybe he truly is different than all the others.’_

After they were seated Red snatched up her hand in his. “Lizzie, I want to thank you again for agreeing to have dinner with me tonight. I’ll be honest I was fully expecting you to say no.”

“Why would you think that?” She asked.

He gave a small shrug. “I know I’m not exactly a spring chicken anymore, and you don’t strike me as the kind of woman who’s, if you’ll pardon the phrase, a gold-digger so I doubt my money is the reason you said yes. Which begs the question as to why a stunning beauty like you would agree to dinner with an old codger like me.”

Liz looked Red right in the eyes, she was slightly taken back at his insecurity. “Oh Red, I agreed to dinner with you because you’re different, there’s something about you that draws me in. You’ve piqued my interest and I find myself wanting to get to know you, the real Raymond Reddington.” She took a sip of water before continuing. “You’re right though Red, I have absolutely no interest in your bank account, you could have pulled up in a Gremlin wearing a potato sack, and taken me to a hot-dog cart and I would still be feeling the same way as I do now.”

For the first time in his life Raymond Reddington was at a complete loss for words. He just sat there, looking at her, his eyes searching hers for any indication that she was lying, and much to his pleasure, he saw nothing but sincerity looking back at him. She was here for him, not for what he has.

“Thank you Lizzie.” He replied, his head slightly falling as a sigh of relief left him, his hand gripped hers a little tighter. “It’s been a very long time since a women was genuinely interested in me and not my material possessions. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you at the gala, that you're different Elizabeth.” They sat for a moment, letting this new found intimacy settle in, before their waiter walked up to take their order.

Dinner was a wonderful experience for both parties, the conversation flowed between the two of them with ease. They talked about everything and anything that came to mind. Red learned that Liz’s two favourite movies were Clue and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and that she had always wanted to experience the latter on the screen at a drive-thru. Liz learned that Red was a huge lover of the ballet, Swan Lake being his favourite having seen it every year since he was sixteen. Liz’s favourite comfort food was grilled cheese with tomato soup, while Red’s was butter milk biscuits with Devonshire cream and raspberry jam. She enjoyed alternative/indie, while he listened to classic rock and jazz.

They continued to talk through dessert and coffee, neither one wanting the night to end. Red paid the bill leaving a hefty tip for their waiter before leading Liz to the front door, only stopping to retrieve his hat. The ride back to Liz’s place was silent, the nervousness of a possible good night kiss filling both their systems. Thankfully Dembe turned the radio on, the soulful voice of Adele gently filled the car’s interior and Liz couldn’t resist singing along.

_“But there's a side to you, that I never knew, never knew. All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true, and the games you play you would always win, always win.”_

Red closed his eyes as her voice washed over him, she had a smoky voice like Lana Del Rey only better. It was beautiful and he never wanted her to stop singing. Liz, for her part was very aware that she was singing out loud and was surprised with herself. She knew that she had a decent voice but was still wary about singing in front of other people, but when she saw Red close his eyes and relax into the seat she was spurred on. She finished the song just as they pulled up to her front door, she turned to Red who still had his eyes closed. If it wasn’t for the small smile that was on his face she would have thought he was sleeping.

“You have a beautiful voice Lizzie. I didn’t want the song to end.” His eyes fluttered open and caught hers. She offered him a shy smile.

The opening of the car door brought them both back to reality. She climbed out first, followed closely by Red. In a bold move she slipped her hand in his and was rewarded by a huge grin. They climbed the steps to her front door, respectfully he stopped a step sooner but maintained his hold on her hand. She turned to him with an unsure look on her face. They spoke at the same time.

“Red-”

“Lizzie-”

Both letting out a laugh breaking the tension that rapidly took root between them. Liz gestured for Red to start. “Lizzie, I had a marvellous time. This was actually the best first date I’ve ever been on and I would love to see you again.”

“I would like that very much too Red.” She nodded.

“Lizzie…Lizzie may I kiss you good night?” The confidence that had stuck by his side all night seemed to have stayed in the car. She tugged on his hand in response, he climbed the last stair coming to stand right in front of her. He brought his free hand up to run his fingers through her hair, before cupping her cheek. “Just as soft as I thought it would be.”

She bit her bottom lip and he couldn’t hold back anymore, he drew her mouth to his. His lips were soft and full against hers, and she could tell he wasn’t going to add any more pressure without her go ahead. She grab his tie and pressed her lips tighter against his. It was a heated kiss that left Liz’s head spinning. His lips moved sensually over hers before she felt his tongue gently coaxing. Without hesitating she opened her mouth, granting his tongue entrance. Right now in this moment with him, nothing else mattered.

He moved to her, trying to get as close as he could. He gently untangled his other hand from hers and quickly brought it up to cup her other cheek. Both her hands moved to his lower back pulling his hips tight to her. A moan escaped both their throats as his arousal pressed against her thigh, they continued to kiss until the need for air became too great to ignore. Red was the one to pull away, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to replenish his body’s oxygen supply. Slowly Liz opened her eyes and couldn’t help the ego driven smile at his dilated pupils. She could feel the heat rising in her body and she licked her lips, tasting him on them.

“Wow.” She breathed out.

“I’ll second that.” He replies with a small chuckle. He stroked the pads of his thumbs across the apples of her cheeks, he leaned in to place a chaste kiss to her lips, pulling back and searched her eyes with his own.

“When can I see you again?” He whispered, not caring if he sounded overly eager.

“Is tomorrow too soon?” She asked with a little laugh, feeling a blush creep up her face.

“Not soon enough.” Red answered pulling away, much to both of their dismays. Dropping his hands from her face, he grabbed both of her hands in his, giving them a firm squeeze and a warm smile before taking a step back down the stairs. She turned to open her front door, stepping into the foyer before turning back to him.

“Have a goodnight Red.” She said sweetly.

“Goodnight Lizzie.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Liz's first time..awe ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a longer chapter and contains smut...you have been warned!!!

The next couple of dates went just as smoothly, each one ending at Liz’s door step with a passionate kiss, getting longer and more intense each time. In fact after last night’s kiss, Liz was sure she was going to spontaneously combust from the heat that was pooling inside of her. She was falling for Red, falling fast and hard, and although that ought to scare her, it really excited her.

Red continued to surprise her, proving to her again and again that he wasn't like other men. She found it absolutely adorable that he was completely oblivious to the doe eyed stares that almost every woman they came across gave him. They had their next date scheduled for this evening and she couldn't wait. So far he had taken her to the standard date places, the movies, dancing, and restaurants. She had quickly learned that he enjoyed spending his money on her, at first it bothered her and after a conversation that almost turned into an argument, she backed down a little with a compromise that he allow her to pay every now and then.

In Liz’s opinion, five o'clock could not come soon enough. She was really excited about tonight’s date and judging by the giddiness in Red’s voice when they spoke on the phone at breakfast, so was he. It had become a ritual for them, talking on the phone every morning while having breakfast, Red claimed that now he needed three things in the morning, breakfast, coffee and her voice in his ear.

It was around lunch time when Lizzie was brought out of a day dream about last night’s date with Red by her phone ringing. Looking down at the caller ID, a huge smile spread on her face as she picked it up.

“Pinky’s porno palace…what’s your pleasure?”

Red must have been drinking coffee or something because on the other end of the line she heard him start coughing. Clearing his throat, he composed himself.

“Yes, hello. My pleasure is a tall, physically fit brunette with shoulder length hair, piercing blue eyes, and lips I could kiss for days. The personality of a crack whip, with the most beautiful smile you ever saw and an incredibly infectious laugh. Do you have any ladies there that fits that description?” He asked.

“I’m sure we can find something.” She asked with a small chuckle. “Hey Red, how’s it going?”

“Hello Lizzie. It’s going well, but not as well as I’d like.” He said letting out a small sigh, he knew she was going to be upset with him in a minuet.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m really sorry to do this sweetheart but I'm going to have to cancel tonight. Negotiations with my current business deal aren’t going as planned, so I'm stuck here in Boston. I’m so sorry.” He finished, the regret in his voice evident.

“Oh…that’s okay, I understand.” She said trying to mask her disappointment but she knew she failed.

Hearing her upset made Red’s chest ache. “I’m so sorry Lizzie. I promise I will make it up to you.”

“It’s okay Red, I promise. I understand, believe me. Is everything going okay up there?”

“Oh yeah, just the CEO’s son is countering every offer I’ve thrown out. He’s just trying to rile me up, hoping I’ll just back out completely. He knows that once I take over I’m going to toss his useless ass out. They’ve invited me over for dinner to try and smooth things out. Not even close to how I wanted to spend my evening.”

Before she could form a reply, Ressler walked into her office signalling her that she is needed. Nodding she started to stand up and head towards the door.

“Listen Red, I have to go. Ressler’s got something for me. Don't worry about tonight, I completely understand. But I am absolutely holding you to making it up to me.” She said trying to lighten the mood, not wanting him to think she was upset with him.

“Oh I will definitely be making it up to you. Be safe out there sweetheart! I’ll talk to you this evening?”

“Yes you will. You be safe as well Red.” She finished before hanging up.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. She and Ressler had apprehended a terrorist suspect after they received a tip that he tried to detonate an IED in one of the subway stations. Thankfully the crisis was averted. Putting the last signature on the paperwork and shutting off her computer, Liz made her way to the elevator heading upstairs to grab her car. Standing in the elevator she can’t help the feeling of sadness that washes over her. She’d gotten so used to seeing Red every evening the past couple of nights, and tonight she would be…Red-less. Liz stepped out of the elevator into the crisp cold air, thankful for once that she decided to park outside instead of in the underground parking lot.

She stopped at the liquor store on her way home, she needed wine for her night alone. She had just finished slipping on a pair of jeans when her doorbell rang. Grabbing her sweater she bounded down the stairs, taking a glance at the clock as she walked past the living room.

‘Who could this be at seven thirty at night?’ She approached the door carefully looking through the peep-hole.

“Dembe?” She asked, opening the door for the gentle giant.

“Good evening Elizabeth.” He said quietly.

“Good evening Dembe. Red called this afternoon and told me he wasn't going to be able to make it tonight, is everything okay?” She asked slightly confused. She stepped back and motioned for him to enter her home.

“Yes of course. Raymond regrets not being here so he set something up for you.” Dembe tells her. Liz couldn’t stop the smile from overtaking her face. “So go throw on some socks and grab your coat.”

Automatically she looked at her feet, as if said item would just magically appear. “Right. I’ll be right back.” She took of back upstairs, trying to guess what Red had in store for her. She was back in less than a minute, with a heavier sweater, socks, shoes and her purse.

“Do I need anything else?”

“Maybe a hat if you have one, it’s a little chilly were we’re going.” Curiosity thy name was Elizabeth Keen. Dembe had to suppress the laugh that was bubbling up, he could practically see the wheels in her head turning. She disappeared again and returned with her wool coat and black cap. They exited out of the building and made their way to the Rolls sitting across the street. Leaning down Dembe opened the passenger door for her.

She gave him a big smile. “Thank you Dembe.” She looked inside and was mildly disappointed to see that Red was not sitting on the opposite side, waiting for her to slide in and join him, taking her hand in his own like he always did. Logically she knew that he wasn’t going to be there but part of her hopped that he was surprising her.

Dembe’s answering smile was an incredible sight, he wasn't a man to show emotions easily, but when he smiled…he was charming. Taking his offered hand, she climbed into the car and was instantly surrounded by Red’s scent. His unique smell is one of the things she loved most about him.

 _‘Loved?’_ She asked herself, he eyes widening at the realization, the more she thought about it the more she knew that she had fallen in love with Raymond Reddington. She snapped out of her thoughts as Dembe started the engine and pulled away.

“Where are we going Dembe?” Lizzie asked, but he didn’t answer.

Before she could ask him again, she caught sight of the single red rose and note sitting in the seat next to her. Reaching over, she picked up the flower and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply. The smell of Red and rose made her heart rate pick up, a warm feeling bubbling up in her lower belly. Opening the note, she saw Red’s distinctive handwriting.

_My Dearest Lizzie,_  
_I am so sorry that I cannot be with you tonight. Believe me when I say that there is nowhere else I would rather be at this moment than by your side, holding you in my arms as we spend the evening with one another. Please indulge me and enjoy where you are about to go. Know that I miss you with each passing second._  
_Red_

As she finished reading the letter, Liz felt a single tear run down her cheek. _‘I really do love this man._ ’ She said to herself. Smiling at that knowledge she sat back and placed his note in her inside jacket pocket close to her heart, clutching the rose to her tightly. Not sure where she was going or what Red has planned, Liz decided to relaxed back into the seat and closes her eyes. She must have been tired because she woke up twenty minutes later, according to her watch, and she noticed she was on the outskirts of the city. Looking around, she did not recognizing her surroundings.

“Where are we going Dembe?” She asked trying to get her bearings.

“We’re almost there.” Dembe answered quietly, but she could hear the smile in his voice. Five minutes later, Liz’s eye grew wide as she saw the Drive-In rapidly approaching.

“Is this…” She trailed off as she caught sight of Red, standing on the bed of a large truck. He looked good in the thick grey sweater, his hands tucked into the pockets of a very nice form fitting pair of blue jeans, with a large smile on his face. Liz didn’t wait for Dembe to open the door for her, she jumped out of the car and all but ran towards Red.

Red jumped down from the bed of the truck when he saw her make her way to him, meeting her halfway and enveloping her in a tight hug. Tucking his face into her hair, he took a deep breath, allowing her scent to fill his senses.

“I missed you.” He breathed out. Nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck, she took a deep breath of him as well, felling her body melt into his own.

“I missed you too.” She said against his neck, causing a shiver to run through his body.

Pulling back a little to see her face, he brought his right hand up to cup her cheek before leaning down to press a firm kiss to her lips. Liz’s grip on his waist tightening bringing their bodies closer together as Red deepened the kiss, running his tongue over her bottom lip asking for entrance. She pressed her tongue against his own, running it along the roof of his mouth causing a deep groan to rip from his chest. Red felt himself getting carried away, he pulled back and laid his forehead against hers, both trying to calm their ragged breathing.

Breaking apart after a moment, Red led Liz over to the bed of the large truck he had been standing on. Looking in, Liz saw it lined with thick blankets and fluffy pillows, a large thermos and a huge bowl of popcorn sat in the middle. Red hopped up first with the grace of a large cat, he reached down helped Lizzie up. After getting themselves settled, Red pulled her close to him and brought the top layer of blankets up to cover them.

“Would you like some hot chocolate?” Red asked.

“Love some.” She replied with a bright smile. After the drinks were poured, Red wrapped his arm around her shoulders bringing her side into his chest, them both settling down in their warm cocoon.

“What movie are we watching?” She asked quietly.

“Just wait.” Red replied with a mischievous smile. He whipped out his phone, punched a few buttons before slipping it back into his pocket. Suddenly the lights went down and a big pair of red lipstick covered lips appeared on the screen, and the beginning lines of a song she would know anywhere fills the air around them.

_“Michael Rennie was ill, The Day the Earth Stood Still, but he told us where we stand, and Flash Gordon was there, in silver underwear, Claude Rains was The Invisible Man…”_

Lizzie’s eyes grew really wide as she whipped her head up to look at Red. “Raymond…you remembered?” She said, with a brightness glinting in her eye and a smile the likes of which he’s never seen before.

“I did.” Red replied with just as much excitement at seeing her so happy. Setting her cup down on the side of the truck, Liz reached up and brought his face down to hers. She crashed their lips together, kissing him fiercely, wanting him to feel every emotion she couldn't say out loud. Red’s loud moan and his passionate return, told her understood the message.

“Thank you Raymond.” She said with a tear running down her cheek. Leaning in quickly, Red kissed the tear away before leaning back into the cushion, bringing her down with him and laying her head on his chest.

“You’re welcome Elizabeth.” His voice thick with emotion. At that very moment, Red vowed to himself that he would do everything and anything in his power to make the woman in his arms happy. He loved her, he was in love with her, he knew this without a shadow of a doubt and he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her smile like she was right now.

Red had learned many things about Elizabeth Keen throughout the course of the evening. He found out that she knew every word of The Rocky Horror Picture Show by heart. She knew all the proper responses to the movie and when to throw popcorn, she knew all the dance steps to the Time Warp. As the movie ended and the lights came back, Red looked down to see a content look on Liz’s face. He sunk down a little further under the blankets and pulled her closer into his chest, dropping a soft kiss to her forehead.

“All good sweetheart?” He asked softly.

“Perfect, absolutely perfect.” She practically purred into his chest. Feeling the cold outside start to penetrate their warm cocoon, Red reluctantly untangled himself from her warmth and started to pack up. Hearing her protest to the movement, he smiled to himself and helped her up and then down off the bed of the truck. Never taking his arm from around her, he walked with her to the car and quickly ushered her in.

Rather than sitting up in her seat, Liz continued to lean on Red’s chest, not that he minded in the slightest. He loved having her close to him that meant she was safe. Feeling her breathing start to even out five minutes into the drive, he knew she fell asleep. Turning his head he placed a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her a little tighter. Too soon for Red’s liking, they arrived at Liz’s place.

“Lizzie. Wake up sweetheart, we’re here.” He coos gently. Sitting up and looking out the window, she realized she was back at her house, instantly feeling bereft, not wanting the night to end. Looking down at her watch she realized how late it was.

She turned back to Red and asked. “Would you like to come in for a bit?” At her question, Red’s stomach dropped.

“I can’t sweetheart, I actually have to head back to the airport now to fly back to Boston. That’s how I was able to make it down here to surprise you. I was able to put off the end of the talks until tomorrow morning, so I could make it back down here to you.” He finished sadly, not wanting to leave her after such an incredible evening.

“Oh Red you didn't have to do that. I know how important this deal is to you. You really shouldn’t ha-” Red swept in and captured her lips with his own, effectively silencing her.

“Yes I should have, because I promised my girlfriend that I would take her out tonight and I don't break my promises to her. Furthermore she is way more important than any business deal. Plus, I've gotten used to spending my evenings with you, and I wasn't going to give that up for anything.” He told her with a hard look in his eyes. He wanted her to see how important to him she was.

“I love you Raymond.” Liz blurted out before she could stop herself, her eyes instantly fall to the seat between them and Liz tried to disentangle herself from him, afraid she had just ruined things by her over eagerness. Before she can even get a breath of air between them, Red pulled her back to him and captured her chin in his hand, bringing her gaze to his. For a moment his eyes searched hers, looking for regret or any indication that she didn't truly mean her last words, but he found nothing but, warmth, uncertainty and most importantly love. A serious face washes across his features.

“I love you too Elizabeth. I love you so much.” He replied with passion, leaning down he took her lips again with his. He instantly deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Breaking apart she nipped at his lower lip, causing a deep growl to rumble in his chest, before reclaiming his lips. His left hand lifted to comb through her hair, holding her to him tightly. They only broke apart when the need for air became absolutely necessary.

“Believe me Lizzie when I tell you that I want nothing more than to go into your house with you, but if I go in there with you I won’t leave and I need to be in Boston tomorrow morning. But I tell you what, once I get the meetings finished tomorrow, I’ll come right back here, and tomorrow night…tomorrow night I’ll take you up on that offer.” He finished, his nostril flaring as he smelt her arousal waft around him, his pupils dilated.

“That sounds like a perfect plan Red. Tomorrow night I'm all yours.” She says seductively rubbing her nose against his. Deciding to be bold, Liz slipped a hand between them and firmly cupped him through his jeans. She was surprised to find he was already incredibly hard.

“Lizzie!” He dragged her name out in a groan, her hand on him was not making his situation any better. Instinctively his hips thrusted up into her hand seeking some relief to the ache there. Liz let out her own moan when she felt how big he was, her thighs instantly getting wet, she was sure that her panties were completely saturated. Slowly she withdrew her hand from him after giving him one more firm squeeze and stroke, knowing if she didn't leave now they'd end up having their first time in the back of his car, and as much as that idea turned her on, she didn't want Dembe to be present when that happened.

He closed his eyes, willing his erection to go down. “Lizzie, that was just cruel.”

She smiled at him. "I'll make it up to you, you know?"

"Yeah...yeah you will." His eyes opened and he smiled brightly. She leaned forward and pressed one more kiss to his lips before opening the car and making her way to her door.

“Have a goodnight Lizzie, and pleasant dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He called out from the car, his voice deeper and huskier than normal.

“Goodnight Red, and please travel safe tonight. We have a date tomorrow you are not allowed to break for anything. I love you Raymond.” She responded, her voice just as husky, laced with arousal.

“I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love you too Lizzie.” He shoots back watching her close the door and fasten the deadbolt.

Settling himself back in his seat, he tried taking slow calming breaths to find some relief. Dembe, to his credit, knew his boss’s predicament and couldn't hold his tongue any longer. “I know that was very…hard…for you Raymond.” Dembe said laughing out loud.

“Shut up Dembe.” Red responded joining in with his laughing, as they drove off towards the airport. For the first time in his life Red wished he hadn’t started this deal. He wanted nothing more than to just forget about the deal and go to Liz, it wasn’t as if he was actually needed there, they had already written up the paper work all that was needed was his signature. Thank god for fax machines. After they passed a couple blocks Red whipped out his phone and quickly punched in a series of numbers.

“Michael?...Reddington…listen there’s been a family emergency…nothing to dire but it does require me to stay here for at least one day…I know…just fax me the paperwork I’ll sign it and have it back to you before you can calculate your cut…good…thank you Michael.” He snapped the phone shut and was about to tell Dembe to turn around when he noticed that they were already on their way back to Liz’s.  
Red smiled. “Thank you Dembe.”

Liz had just changed into a loose tank top and was about to dive into a book, when there was a heavy knock on the door, she slowly approached and ripped the door open when she saw Red through the peep hole.

“Red wha-” His mouth fusing over hers stopped her mid-sentence, without hesitating Liz kissed him back, hard. She grabbed onto his sweater and pulled him through the doorway, his hands went to her waist as he kicked the door shut. He smiled back as she pushed him towards the couch, he sat down when the backs of his legs hit the cushions. He pulled her on top of him, he reached up and threaded his hands through her hair and pulled her head down to his to kiss her again.

She groaned in his mouth and he pulled away. “Lizzie?”

“Hmm.” She said as she moved to his neck.

“God Sweetheart…are you…um…sure.” He got out between gasps.

She tore her mouth away from his neck and looked into his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this since our second date Red. Yes I’m sure.”

Red brought her mouth down to his, the kiss deepened instantly as he scooped her up into his arms and made his way to her room. Once he kicked the door shut, he spun them around and pressed her up against the door, his hands traveled from her neck to the hem of her tank top. He slowly began pushing it up her body as her hands tugged on his sweater. He pulled back and let her tug the sweater over his head, taking his long sleeve shirt with it, leaving him in just a black undershirt. Grabbing onto her hips he swung around and threw her in the middle of the bed, smiling at her squeal of surprise, he let his eyes roam over her body.

Clad in nothing but jeans and a purple lace bra Liz was a sight to behold. Soft and hard…and soft again. Red felt his body respond to the flush that overcame her. “My god Lizzie…you’re so beautiful.”

Red moved his hands to her jeans, unbuttoning them quickly before tugging them down her legs and tossing them to the floor. He placed wet open mouth kisses to the insides of her thighs, enjoying her sighs and gasps of pleasure. She stopped him before he could reach his intended destination, she pulled him back up to her lips and tugged on his shirt and jeans, whispering into his mouth.

"Take ‘em off." He stood up, tearing the shirt from his body smiling at the heated look she gave him.

Liz sat up and crawled over to him, her hands immediately delved into the light brown hair covering his chest. He hauled her closer, claiming her lips with his. Her hands trailed down his body, feeling the solid muscles quiver as she went. When her hands connected with his leather belt she pushed him back and stood in front of him, without taking her eyes away from his she slowly unbuckled his jeans. He stopped her when she made to kneel in front of him, kissing away her pout. She watched him pull off his jeans and they reached for each other, stumbling back to her bed in only their underwear.

Red fell back against the bed, his smile growing wider as she crawled onto the bed and straddled his hips. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his neck. He reached behind her and unclasped her bra, looking into her eyes, asking for permission. She nodded and let her hands slide over his chest, followed by her lips. She rolled her hips, causing both of them to sigh in pleasure and anticipation as she brushed against his erection. He flipped them over, smiling at the little yell she let out.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Liz bit her bottom lip as he ran a hand slowly up her side. "Your ex was an idiot to cheat on you." He cupped her breasts. She arched off of the bed and further into his hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist and continued to grind up against him. She ran her hands down his back, feeling the pattern of marred skin under her palms and pushed his boxers off, moaning as his erection brushed against her. He helped her out of her underwear and leaned back, sitting up in the bed and pulled her into his lap. One hand flew behind her neck while the other steadied her hips as she rose above him.

She moaned when she felt his tip brush across her center. “Oh god Red, you feel so good. I want you now.”

Sitting up, Red pulled her mouth close to his, but didn't kiss her. Liz rested her forehead against his and cried softly as she slowly sank down on his length. He was huge, in both length and girth and she had to take a moment to adjust to him. Her head fell to his shoulder as he placed tiny kisses against her neck, urging her to move. Liz gripped his shoulders tightly, digging her nails into his flesh and rose up again, moaning loudly when she plunged back down on him. Red shut his eyes and moaned softly, she was so tight. As Liz rose up, she rotated her hips, both of them letting out a sigh. One of Red’s hands gripped her hip while the other was planted behind him, steadying them both. Unable to take her slow torture, he pulled her back down against him. Her eyes flew open and she buried her face into his neck, their pace getting rougher and quicker.

"Oh...Red…oh god!” Liz cried against his sweat-covered skin.

She ran her fingers over his damp skull and forced his head up, pressing a rough kiss to his lips and cried into them softly every time he pulled her back down against him. Slamming down on him one last time, Liz rolled them over so he was on top. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Red slowed down, replacing his hard thrusts with gentle ones. He lowered his head to her neck, sucking on the salty skin. Liz had one of her hands firmly on the back of Red’s skull while the other one was clinging to his shoulder blades as he gently thrust into her.

“Oh Lizzie…so close.” He gasped out as he felt his orgasm slowly approaching.

“I know…oh Red…don’t stop…please…don’t stop.” He sped up as he felt her inner walls clenching around him. “Oh…RAYMOND!” She screamed as her orgasm crashed over her. Red stopped his movements and watched her crash over the edge.

Liz’s eyes were still glazed with the force of her orgasm and all she could manage was "Wow!" Which made him smile. Red brushed the hair away from her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"Wow, huh?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah, definitely wow!" She realized that Red was still rock hard inside her. Giving a little wriggle, she smiled in triumph when he thrust slightly and groaned. "Aww, my poor baby." She said mock-sympathetically. "You didn’t get to finish, did you? Well let’s see it we can do something about that."

“Fuck!” He swore when she clenched her internal muscles around him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a mind-blowing kiss. He started to move gently, not wanting to rush her. After a few seconds, Liz began to move with him. Red gently moved her legs higher around his waist, using the extra leverage to thrust harder.

"Oh god Lizzie…you feel so good.” He managed to say, dropping his head to her shoulder

“Look at me.” Liz ordered. Red looked down at her, and felt himself swell inside her.

Red's back arched and he thrust wildly into her. Letting out a hoarse cry of her name, he exploded, clinging to her tightly as he spilled inside her. His release triggered Liz’s second and she cried out his name as her body trembled beneath him, as intense wave after intense wave of pleasure washed her.

He collapsed against her, catching himself on his forearms. He sucked in a few deep breaths before slipping out of her body, both groaning loudly at the feeling. After a few moments he rolled onto his back, pulling her to lay half on top of him, she threw her leg over his and her hand started playing with the soft curls on his chest.

“Red?” Her tired inquiry broke through the silence.

“Hmm”

“Don’t you have a meeting to be at first thing?”

He cracked an eye open and looked at her. “Having the paperwork faxed over.” He pulled her close to him, her head on his shoulder and her hand toying with his chest hair. “Now, sleep time.”

“Good night Red. I love you.”

“I love you too Lizzie.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course something bad would happen.....

A few days later, Liz awoke feeling really good. She looked her clock and realized her alarm wasn’t set to go off for another twenty minutes. She dropped her head back to the pillow and closed her eyes, hoping to catch a little more sleep. A knock at her door startled her. She sat up in bed waiting a second to hear if whoever it is knocks again, wanting to make sure that she's not hearing things. Then the doorbell rang once, twice, figuring whoever it was would leave at her lack of response, Liz quickly threw on her sweatpants, put her phone in her pocket and made her way downstairs. 

Making it into her kitchen, before she can even make it to the coffee machine, her phone started to ring. Pulling it out of her pocket and checking the caller ID. ‘A bit earlier than normal.’ She thinks to herself. Flipping it open she answers.

“Good morning Red.” She said softly.

“Good morning sweetheart. Would you be a dear and open your front door?” He asked, instantly stopping her in her tracks. 

Whipping around she headed toward her front door quickly. “Are you…” She thought he was away again on business up in Chicago.

“Unfortunately I'm not.” He answered as she opened the front door. Standing there was a flower delivery man with a bouquet, small box and note. 

“Good morning ma’am. These are for you.” He said, slightly annoyed. He handed her the parcels before turning on his heel and walked down the stairs back to his car. Standing there stunned for a moment, Liz forgot about the phone pressed to her ear.

“Lizzie?” Red called out. Snapping out of her momentary pause she steps back inside and into the kitchen, placing the flowers down and looking at the small parcel. 

“I’m here. Are these from you Red?”

“They better be. Because if you have another gentleman caller sending you flowers then I'm going to need his name, address and social security number so I can make him disappear.” He said with humour in his voice, but the serious undertone tells her that he's not completely joking.

“There’s only you Red. These are beautiful, thank you.” She said genuinely.

“You’re welcome sweetheart. I wish I could be there to give them to you myself.”

“Wait. How did you know I needed to open my door?” She asked curiously.

“Because I paid the man to wait at your door until you answered and he personally handed you the flowers. He called Dembe and told him that he had been knocking for twenty minutes with no answer, so I called you to get your cute butt out of bed.” He said laughing at her, and hearing her laugh as well. “While I have you on the phone, open the box sweetheart. I have a minute before my meeting.” 

Reaching over she grabbed the small box and tore off the wrapping, instantly she recognized the pale green colour of the box. Slowly, she removed the lid and her breath caught in her throat. Laying, nestled inside the box was a Tiffany’s 1837® interlocking pendant in eighteen carat white and rose gold with diamonds. 

“Oh Red…I…” She was at a loss for words.

“Do you like it love?” He asked hesitantly.

“I love it. Red I love it. But I can’t accept this. This is-”

“Yes you can, and you will accept this Lizzie. I bought this with you in mind. Us in mind.” Red intoned. Hearing her sniffle a little bit on the other end of the phone Red started to panic, afraid he had made a mistake.

“Oh I love you Ray. This is beautiful. Thank you.” She said. Hearing those words quelled his rapidly beating heart, a wave of relief washed over him. 

“I love you more Lizzie, and you're most welcome. I can’t wait to see you tonight love, I’ll be at your place around seven. Lizzie I have to run, the meeting is about to start. I’m so glad you love the flowers and my gift, I’ll see you very soon.” He said gently. 

“Sounds good Red. I can’t wait to see you tonight as well. Thank you again, truly. I miss you.”

“You’re welcome, and I miss you too sweetheart. Be safe today. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She finished strongly. 

Red’s Chicago meetings had gone off without a hitch, he actually came out on the better end of the deal getting more money than he had anticipated. Wrapping everything up sooner than expected, he hopped on his jet and made his way back to DC, wanting to run a couple errands and take care of some business before he heads to Lizzie’s. By the time six thirty came around, he was so anxious to see his Lizzie that he headed her way early. 

Rolling up to her house, he saw all the lights were off and her car was not in her usual parking spot. Pulling up to the curb, he whipped out his phone and checked it for any possible messages from her. Not seeing anything, he punched the number one on his speed dial but it went straight to voicemail. Figuring she’s just busy, Red cut the engine and grabbed the newspaper in the passenger seat. Twenty minutes later, he still had not heard anything. He picked up his phone and tried calling again, but again it went straight to voicemail. 

After leaving a brief message asking her to give him a call to let him know she’s alright, he went back to the newspaper. Another twenty minutes go by, it’s now ten past seven and Red was starting to get anxious. Exiting the car he walked up to her front door and knocked. Nothing. He rang the doorbell. Still nothing. Red was starting to get worried, really worried, so he took out his key and let himself in while taking his phone out and tried calling her again. 

With his third call going unanswered, Red felt his stomach drop and fears icy fingers gripped his heart. He had given Dembe the night off, but did not hesitate to hit the number two on his speed dial. A quick conversation and ten minutes later Dembe came flying up the street. Red filled him in on what was going on. Walking through the house Red noticed that everything looked completely normal and undisturbed. In the kitchen Red spotted the flowers, note and the now empty Tiffany’s box on the counter. Taking out his phone again, he dialed the number of Harold Cooper. 

It rang once. “Hello?”

“Harold, its Reddington, where’s Liz?” Not even returning the greeting, he didn’t have time for pleasantries.

“Raymond.” The sadness in Harold’s voice caused the cold hands of fear to trail down his spine. “Raymond…”

“Harold do not fuck with me right now! Tell me where Liz is?!” Rage was slowly pushing the fear aside.

“She’s at MedStar Washington Hospital.”

“What happened?” Red was meet with silence. “Harold I swear to god-“

“She was attacked at a scene.” The blood drained from Red’s face, causing Dembe to stand up straight.

“Harold…is she-”

“No Raymond, she’s not dead but she’s not doing well. They don’t think she’s going to make it.” The force in which the grief hit him brought tears to Red’s eyes.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up the phone without waiting for a response. He tore out of Liz’s house and ripped open the passenger’s door throwing himself into the seat. Red was never more grateful for Dembe’s driving skills than he was now. They got to the hospital in record time, Red didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before bolting out of it. He saw Harold Cooper standing at the front doors clearly waiting for him. 

"How did this happen?" Red asked as both men made their way through the busy building.

"Agents Keen and Ressler where following up on a tip that a terrorist who's been on our radar was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse a few miles from here. When they entered the building Agent Ressler suggested they split up. Agent Keen saw the suspect and went after him. Agent Ressler got there just before the suspect was able to finish Liz off. She's sustained a stab wound to the stomach along with a concussion and few minor bumps and scratches."

Red visibly paled. "Where is she now?"

"Right now she's in surgery, they think the blade may have hit an organ. Raymond there was a lot of blood at the scene." Harold finished. They stepped off the elevator and immediately Red zeroed in on Donald Ressler standing in the waiting room. Rage filled Red’s body as he looked at Liz’s partner. Without thinking Red walked up to him, cocked his arm back and felt the satisfying crunch of his fist connecting with Donald's jaw. 

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE HER?" Not giving Ressler time to answer, Red grabbed him by his jacket and slammed him against the wall. Tears were rolling down Red's face but the murderous look in his eyes sent a tingle of fear through Ressler’s system. 

"I'm sorry." His weak response only furthered Red's rage, he struck him again, this time splitting the skin of Ressler’s cheek. 

"YOU'RE SORRY! SHE COULD DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!" Red pulled back to hit Ressler again but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Dembe.

"Raymond...don't. It's not his fault." The soft tones of his brothers voice sucked all the anger and fight out of Red's body. He let go of Ressler, his body sagged against Dembe and he let all the anguish out. 

“I can’t lose her Dembe. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her.” The mantra repeated over and over again. Dembe just held him as he cried. 

Cooper and Ressler just stood there, unable to formulate any words or actions, both of them also grieving for Liz. After a few moments Red’s sobs subsided and he excused himself to the washroom, shaking his head in the negative when Dembe move to walk with him. After Red rounded the corner Dembe turned and approached Ressler.

“Are you okay?”

Reflexively he touched his jaw, wincing a little. “Yeah I’m fine. He’s right though…because of me Liz could die.” He said wiping the blood on his face on his sleeve. 

As soon as he got in the bathroom, Red checked to make sure that he was alone before locking the door behind him. Leaning down he placed both hands on the edges of the sink and hung his head. Red dropped to his knees as his legs gave out on him, and for the first time in many many years, Raymond Reddington prayed. More tears fell freely from his eyes as he prayed for Liz to not be taken from him. He finally found the single best thing that’s ever come into his life, and it could very well be ripped away from him as quickly as it entered. 

His heart was beating at a breakneck speed, fear taking him over. He was so caught up in his emotions, he didn't hear the door be unlocked and someone kneeling down next to him. Opening his eyes he looked down at his hands, as two big black ones enveloped them. Softly, he heard Dembe reciting a prayer in his native tongue, and instantly Red joined him. Hoping that whatever higher powers there were will hear them. Finishing the prayer, Dembe wrapped one arm around Red’s shoulders and helped him back to his feet. 

“Come Raymond. We should be there when the doctor returns with news of Liz.” He said quietly. Nodding, Red splashed water on his face before letting Dembe lead him back to the waiting room. Ressler and Cooper were not there, which Red was glad for, he knew he would need to go apologize to Donald for his behaviour, but he wasn’t ready just yet. They settled down in the corner chairs. The time ticked by slowly. Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days. Red was starting to get restless, when finally a doctor came out.

“Family of Elizabeth Keen.” He asked to the room. Before Lizzie’s last name was out of the doctor’s mouth, Red and Dembe were making their way toward him. 

“I’m her husband.” Red answered, his voice laced with worry. He would deal with how good it felt to refer to himself as her husband later. “Is she alright?”

“Mrs. Keen sustained a stab wound to her lower abdomen. The blade came within a few centimetres of her kidneys. At some point the knife was dragged across her stomach causing it to cut into her small intestine. We were able to stop the bleeding and repair her small intestine. We lost her once on the operating table for about a minute.” Red paled and stumbled a bit at the Doctors words, Dembe held him steady with a hand at his back.

The Doctor continued. “I must admit Mrs. Keen is a very lucky woman, if that knife would have been pushed three centimeters deeper, she wouldn't have survived. Her concussion isn't severe, she’ll probably have a headache for a couple days, and her other cuts where cleaned and dressed. Oh! And here this was on her.” He said producing the necklace Red had bought. He took it with shaky hands. “We had to remove it before she went into surgery, and I felt this piece was too valuable to be set aside with her clothing, so I kept it safe until I was able to give it either back to her or to her next of kin.” He finished. Red’s face was as white as a sheet staring at the necklace in his hands, it was splattered with blood. Her blood.

Red looked back at the Doctor. “She’s going to be okay though right?”

“Mrs. Keen is going to be just fine, she’s breathing on her own which is a very good sign. She is going to be in a lot of pain for the next week or so however.” 

“Can I see her?” Red managed to get out.

“We had to put her in a medically induced coma and right now she’s in ICU, you can see her when we move her to a private room.”

“Doctor, let me rephrase…take me to her.” Red said, an aggressive look overtaking his face, the icy look in his eyes dared the doctor to refuse him. “Now.” 

Immediately the Doctor responded. “Right this way.” 

Red and Dembe followed right behind him. A couple turns later, the doctor stopped at the door and opened it for him. The sight that greeted Red was not one he could have ever prepared himself for. There laying in the hospital bed was his Lizzie, hooked up to multiple machines, and as pale as the bedsheets she’s laying on. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of her chest, and the reassuring beeping of the heart monitor, Red would have thought she was dead. Dembe stepped up next to him and put a hand on Red’s shoulder. 

“Go to her Raymond. Touch her, talk to her. Let her know you are here with her.” The young man said gently. 

Dembe’s words broke Red out of his daze, a new sense of purpose and determination settled in his bones. He knew he needed to be strong for her and help her through her recovery. Stepping up to her, he instantly wrapped his left hand over her right, jolting at the icy feel of it. Throwing Dembe a quick look, the man nodded and headed outside, returning a few moments later with more blankets, tucking them around her. Dembe brought over a chair from the corner, and placed it behind Red. He placed a caring hand on Red’s shoulder.

“I’ll be right outside Raymond.”

Red nodded. “Thank you Dembe.” The young man left.

He brought his free hand up to comb some of her hair behind her ear, before cupping her face. He leaned down to press his cheek to her own, whispering in her ear. “I’m right here Lizzie, and I’m not going anywhere unless you're going with me. Come back to me my love. I need to see your beautiful eyes and your incredible smile. I need to hear you say may name, feel your fingertips on my skin. I need you Lizzie. Please don’t make me wait too long sweetheart. I miss you terribly and I love you so much. I’m so sorry I wasn't there to protect you.” A fresh tear made its way down his cheek. He nuzzled the side of her face with his before placing a kiss against her lips. “I love you Lizzie. I love you so much.” He finished before sitting in the chair Dembe provided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I (BlackInk07) couldn't resist having Red punch Ressler. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up on!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom's back...dun dun dunnn

The next six days went by uneventfully, Red had Dembe run back to his home for clothes and a collection of books. He read to her all day long, everything from her J.R Ward series to Shakespeare. He made a point to always include an Edgar Allen Poe story in between knowing how much she loved his stories. It was early morning of the second day when Liz started to open her eyes. As soon as she cracked them open the brightness of the room sent a shot of pain through her skull and she immediately shut them

 _“Ow, Jesus why it so bright in here. Red?!...Red love can you turn the light down?”_ Her mind raced when she realized that she wasn't actually talking. _“Why can’t I sit up? Where the am I? Raymond? Raymond what’s going on? Jeeze my head hurts. Red, honey…Where are you?"_ She let out a small whimper. Red stopped mid-sentence and turned away from his conversation with Dembe.

“Lizzie?” He asked gently squeezing her left hand. He felt the air rush out of his body when he felt her lightly squeeze back. “Oh my sweet Elizabeth!”

He watched her struggle to open her eyes. He figured out the cause of her distress, looked at Dembe and gave him a quick flick of his head. Swiftly Dembe turned the lights down, instantly making it a darker before leaving to find a nurse.

Reaching up with his left hand, Red soothingly stroked her face. “Come on Lizzie, open your eyes for me sweetheart, let me see those beautiful blue eyes.” He coaxed gently. With the less light, Liz was able to slowly open her eyes and was greeted by the sight of Red’s water filled baby blues.

“Red.” She hoarsely whispers. “Water?”

Turning, Red retrieved the cup of water beside the bed, inserted a straw and brought it to her lips. The relief in her throat is instantaneous. “Thank you.”

“Better?” She nodded and noticed tears streaming down his face. Before she could question him, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss to her lips, he was overjoyed to feel her crane her neck up a bit to apply more pressure. Too soon, their moment is broken by a nurse charging in.

“Mrs. Keen, it’s nice to finally see you awake! How're you feeling?” The nurse asked blandly, her clinical neutrality irritated Red. This is his Lizzie, and she deserves the best.

“Tired. Sore” Liz croaked out. Red passed her the water again.

As the nurse checked her vitals, Dembe returned from the hall. “Hello Liz. I’m glad you're awake. How are you feeling?”

“Hi Dembe, aside from feeling like I was hit by a Mack truck, I’m okay.”

Dembe nodded in response before leaning down to whisper in Red’s ear. Liz watched as Red thought carefully about whatever was said before nodding in reply. Dembe whipped out his phone as he stepped back out into the hallway. Leaning down, Red placed another kiss on her lips.

“We’ll be busting you out of here soon my love.” He whispered.

“Good I hate hospitals. And all I want right now is to be curled up in bed with you and not leave for a month.” She said all in one breathe.

“Well I’ll have you know, that’s pretty much exactly what’s going to happen here very soon.” He finished as Dembe returned.

“Everything is prepared Raymond.” Dembe informed him.

“Thank you Dembe.”

“What’s been prepared Red?” Lizzie asked.

“Once we get the clear to move you from your doctor, we’ll be moving you to a much more comfortable, well equipped and safer place.” Red answered.

“And where would that be?” Lizzie inquired curiously.

“My house, more specifically my bed.” He answered, a heat stirring behind his eyes at the thought of finally having her in his bed, even if it’s not the way he originally intended. Not long after, the doctor arrived.

“Good morning Elizabeth. How're you feeling?”

“I feel alright. Really sore and tired, but I'm quite sure that’s normal.” She answered, she wanted to get out of the hospital as fast as she could.

“Yes that is very normal. All of your vitals look great and your tests all came back with flying colours. Now you just need to take it easy and give your wounds time to heal. I’d say a two weeks of bed rest, and no strenuous activities.” The Doctor finished giving Red a sly smirk, causing him to turn a slight shade of red.  
“Thank you doctor. I’ll be taking Elizabeth home this afternoon. I have my own personal physician at my house all set up to look after her. I appreciate everything you did for her.” He said extending his hand for a firm shake.

“It was my pleasure. Though legally I have to advise you against taking her from the hospital this soon, there’s nothing medically to stop you from doing so. I’ll have the nurse bring you the directions and supplies you'll need to redress her wounds, and instructions on bathing and caring for her wounds. Please both take care and be safe out there Mrs. Keen!” The doctor finished as he left the room. Looking over at Dembe, the man passed Red a small bag before stepping out of the room.

“I had some clothes brought over for you to wear as we take you home. I uh…I can help you dress, if you like. Unless of course you're more comfortable and prefer a nurse to come in here and help you. Which I totally understand.” He rambled on, as he headed toward the door to fetch a nurse. Before he can even take a step away from her, she reached out her hand to stop him, making him whip around searching her face for whatever she needed. Just two words come out of her mouth in reply.

“No. You.” She said.

Red nodded and gently helped her into a pair of oversized grey sweats and hoodie, it was a slow and tortuous process for Liz, and every move sent her abdomen into a painful spasm. The pain became too much, that Red had to push the call button for a nurse. Red stepped between her legs as tears started to roll down her cheeks, he wiped them away with this thumbs, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. She clung to him tightly, just needing to feel his body against hers, just needing to feel safe.

A knock at the door startled them. “Come in.” Red called, not moving from his spot.

Liz felt him tense when Ressler walked into the room. “Hey. How are you feeling?” He asked sombrely.

“I’m fine.” She caught sight of his split check and swollen jaw. “What the hell happened to you?”

Ressler shot a glance at Red. “For an older guy, your boyfriend’s got one hell of a right hook.” His voice was devoid of any accusatory tones, instead he sound amused almost.

She pulled back a bit to look at Red and was meet with eyes that where full of regret. The look on her face made Red wince. “Raymond! What the hell?”

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Ressler. “Liz don’t be upset with him.” She turned and gave him a bewildered look. “He wasn’t thinking, he was just told that you have been hurt. He was scared and when he found out it was my idea to split up he did what any man in love would do. I don’t blame him.”

Before Liz could say anything Red disentangled himself from her and slowly approached Ressler. “Donald I am very sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly, all that was running through my head was that Lizzie was badly injured…and then Harold told me it was your idea to split up…and then I saw you standing there without a scratch while Lizzie was…I-I just lost it…I am ashamed of my actions and I hope you can forgive me?” Red held his hand out.

Without having to think twice Donald grasped Red’s out stretched hand in a firm grip. “Don’t lose any sleep over it. I completely understand where you were coming from. I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes.”

The two men held the handshake for a moment longer before dropping their hands. Ressler took a deep breath in shoving his hands in his pockets. “Well I just wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. I’m gonna head home and take some pain killers.” This last part was said with a smile on his face as he dropped a hand onto Red’s shoulder. Ressler left the room leaving a still somewhat upset Liz burning a hole in the back of Red’s head.

He slowly turned around and felt his testicles shrink at the look on Liz’s face. “Liz-“

She held her hand up forcing him to stop. “Come here.” He tentatively took a step forward. “Raymond Todd Reddington! Come here.”

The use of his full name made his feet move faster until he was within arm’s reach. Liz’s hands shot out, clutching the lapels of his vest, she yanked him forward crushing her lips to his lips. It took Red a few seconds but when she forced her tongue into his mouth he quickly got with the program. One of his hands made its way into her hair while the other one messaged her hip. Liz let go of his vest and pushed him back, the heated look she was giving him quashed the hurt he felt.

“You have no idea how hot the mental image of you punching someone is.” The surprised look on his face made her laugh, a deep laugh that was music to Red’s ears. Soon he joined in, letting out a full belly laugh. They both laughed until tears came, at this point neither one knew exactly what they were laughing about, all they knew was that it felt good.

After a few moments their laughter subsided and Red help Liz off the bed. “Come on sweetheart. Let’s go home.”

The ride home was a quiet affair, the minute the car started moving Red pulled Liz close to him, needing to feel her. As Red slid the key into the lock Liz heard a loud bark and the thudding of something hitting the door, she looked at Red with raised eyebrows.

“Oh…um do you like dogs?”

“I love dogs.”

Red chuckled. “Good because you’re about to meet my four-legged child.” Red gently opened the door, going in before Liz. Quickly snatching up the dog by his collar before opening the door fully for her.

Liz followed cautiously and smiled when she saw the super excited canine. “Lizzie, meet Soren. Soren meet Lizzie.” Liz slowly approached the pooch holding her hand out letting him sniff her before gently scratching him behind the ears.

“It’s nice to meet you Soren.” The dog barked in return making Liz laugh.

“He likes you. It’s rare that he likes people the first time he meets them.” Red dropped a hand to the top of the dogs head giving him a good scratching. “Isn’t that right boy?”

“Soren? As in Kierkegaard?’ Liz asked. Red let go of the dogs’ collar and watched as he bounded over to Dembe seeking the attention of the big man.

“Yeah, his name was originally George but I couldn’t stand it.” Liz gave him a quizzical look. “I got him two years ago from a friend of mine in the military. Soren was being trained as a military dog. During a training exercise he was accidentally shot in the leg. The vet on base said he wouldn’t be an effective military dog and recommended that he be put down. My buddy called me and I flew out to get him the next day. I brought him to a vet I know in Italy and within five months he was running around. Granted he does walk with a limp and needs help getting onto the couch, but all in all he’s a very happy dog.”

“He’s beautiful Red.” She beamed at him as she felt her hand being nudged by a cold wet nose. Looking down, Soren was sitting in front of her, waiting for her attention. Reaching down she ran her fingers through his coal coloured coat along his neck, causing him to lean into her touch.

“What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s uh…he’s a black Belgian Malinois.” Liz looked up at Red and saw the bewildered look on his face.

“What?” She asked curiously.

“Soren has literally never taken to someone as quickly as he has you. Even when I first got him, we had a battle of the wills establishing trust before he became truly comfortable with me.” He said sounding slightly put out.

“Are you jealous Red?” She asked with humour lacing her voice.

“Not at all. Just a little…surprised. But I’m glad you two have hit it off so well.” He said with a small smile.

Leaning back up to straighten her posture, Lizzie winced at the sharp pain that that emanated in her stomach. Instantly Soren started whimpering, looking from Red to Lizzie, pawing at Red as if asking him to do something to ease her distress. Closing the distance between himself and her, Red laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as she took deep breaths to ease the pain.

“Are you okay Lizzie?” He asked his voice full of concern.

“Fine.” She said between gritted teeth. “Just stood up too fast is all.” She took a couple calming breaths. Soren was still whimpering, nudging her hand with his nose. She laid her hand on the top of his head giving him a reassuring scratch.

“I’m alright sweetie.” She said calmly to him, smoothing his fur down with her palm. Looking back at Red, she saw his eyes are slight squinted.

“Oh my god, you are jealous!” She laughed at the scowl on his face.

“Am not!” He shot back, not even bothering to hide the mirth in his voice. Looking down at Soren. “Back off Soren. She’s mine, I had her first.” He said pointedly at the dog. Bending down, Red picked Lizzie up bridal style and carried her upstairs to his room, with Soren following closely behind.

‘Our room.’ He thought to himself.

Later that evening found them lying face to face on the bed, exchanging gentle touches and soft kisses and just enjoying being with one another. He in just his pajama bottoms and her in boy shorts and a tank top. Soren had taken up residence at the foot of the bed, keeping a watchful eye out. Red had sent Dembe to bring Mr. Kaplan and after a very thorough check up, Liz was given a few painkillers and ordered to rest.

Blindly Red’s hand found Liz’s, intertwining their fingers and scooted his body closer to hers. There had been something bothering him since the day he orchestrated their coffee run in. Her ex-husband. The fear he saw in her eyes that morning made him angry, his Lizzie should never have to feel that way. He knew this was something that she should really bring up herself but he couldn’t stand it anymore, he had to know.

“Lizzie, may I ask you something?” He asked gently.

“You want to know about my ex, Tom.” She said, looking at him. The shocked look on his face made her giggle. “I could tell something had been bothering you the last couple weeks. I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to pry. Considering our run in with Tom is the only thing that we’ve never really talked about…”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to tell me about him if you don’t want to. It’s just…god Lizzie the look in your eyes when you saw him…it freaked me out how scared you looked. It still freaks me out.” He rolled onto his back and gently pulled her to him, mindful of her injuries.

Immediately her hand buried itself in his chest hair, her eyes connecting with his. “We met six years ago at a mutual friends get together. We hit it off pretty well, I was still adjusting into the Bureau and he was teaching at the local elementary school. We dated for around a year before he proposed. He was great at first, but something changed in him after our three year anniversary.”

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her gaze to her playing fingers. “He became verbally, emotionally and…um…physically abusive. Turning into a man I had never met before. At first I tried to tell myself he was going through a phase and wouldn't lay his hands on me or hurt me again, but I was only kidding myself. One evening he pushed me down the stairs.” She placed a kiss to the skin above his heart when she felt him tense.

“I hit my head pretty hard, but I had to wait until he went to sleep in order to go to the hospital. The next day I went to my lawyer and filed for divorce. Tom wasn't agreeable at first, he tried to tell me he was sorry and that he’d never do it again. But I knew better. We went to court and I provided the judge with evidence of his abuse and he not only granted the divorce, but also issued a restraining order.”

“How long have you two been officially divorced for?” Red could barely control the anger he felt. He wish he would have known this when he first saw Tom Keen.

“The divorce was finalized just over a year ago, but he still stalks me. I don't know what to do, and I’ve never been so scared in my life. I’ve tried going to the police but he always seems to have an alibi. When I saw him the other morning, I wasn't so much scared for myself, I mean yes I was scared but I was more so for you. I know what he’s like and if anything happened to you because of me…” She said starting to get worked up at the thought. “I’ve thought about running, disappearing and starting over with a new identity. Somewhere where he wouldn't find me and you'd be happy and safe.” She said raising her eyes back up to his. She couldn’t pin point the look he was giving her. Pulling his arm from behind his head, he wrapped it around her body and pulled as close as close to him as he could.

“I’m going to stop you right there Elizabeth.” He shifted so they were face to face. “There is no universe in which I would be ever be happy if you weren't by my side. And if you left, if you disappeared, I would burn down this world to find you.” He said pulling back just enough to find her eyes with his own. “I love you Lizzie, and the safest place you can be is with me, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I love you to Red, so much, and the last thing I want to do is leave you. The thoughts of running from you left my mind as quickly as they came because they were foolish thoughts.” She said. She gently brought her hand up, smoothing his side-burn with her fingertips before combing her hand back to pull his lips to hers in a heated kiss. Both pouring their love into it, sealing a non-verbal pact to always be there for one another.

“As for Tom, thank you for telling me about him sweetheart. I know that couldn't have been easy.” He offered gently. “I was married once a very long time ago, but it wasn't meant to be. I was just getting my business established and she was busy creating a name for herself as a lawyer. Her name is Madeline Pratt. As far as I know she still practices law up in Boston, but we haven't kept in touch after the divorce. That was close to twenty years ago now.” He said.

“I realized later that ours was more a marriage of convenience than anything else. We loved each other in our own way, but we were never in love with each other. So far in my fifty-five years of life, only one woman has laid claim to my heart, and I’m happy to say that she’s in my arms right now.” He leant down to recapture her lips in a searing kiss. “I mean it with every fibre of my being when I tell you those three words Lizzie, I love you.” His eyes shining with unshed tears at the emotions that were running through his body. The past week has been hard on both of them, and scary. They came so close, too close to losing one another, and that was not something that will be repeated, not if Red had anything to do with it.

“I love you too Red. And looking back on it, I don't really think I ever truly loved Tom. I loved the idea of him, and the life he could give me but not he himself. The way I feel about you…it’s hard for me to describe, but I've never felt this way about anyone. Ever. And I know I never will again. You're it for me Raymond.” She said as she nuzzled her face into his neck breathing in his unique scent.

“For me too Lizzie, ‘til death do us part.” He whispered into her hair. Both not saying anything as the weight of their words to one another settled over them like a thick warm blanket. They were a team, partners, best friends and lovers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom yet again...and some phone sex ;) smut ahead...you've been warned

Liz was getting antsy, it was day four of her bed rest and she was slowly going insane, if it wasn’t for the company of the black dog she surely would have snapped. Red had been called away on an important business meeting the day after he had brought her home from the hospital, and she was bored. He had wanted to send Dembe in his place but Liz had insisted that she would be fine for a couple days. After much persuading, Red had finally relented on the condition that Mr. Kaplan come see her at least once a day. 

After Mr. Kaplan had left for the day Liz crawled into bed, ignoring Soren’s whines of being locked outside. She stripped down and grabbed the raunchy novel she had taken to reading every time Red went away. As cheesy as these books were they never failed to arouse her to some degree, her eyebrows shot up as a thought popped into her head. Quickly she grabbed her phone and hit number one on her speed dial.

Red was stretched out on the bed in the back of his jet. His jacket and vest laid over the foot of the bed and his shirt unbuttoned a bit, belt curled up in his shoes placed under the bed, he took a deep breath and started to fall asleep. That was until the shrill noise of his satellite phone ringing next to him brought him back. Looking at the caller ID he saw it was Lizzie, and fear all of a sudden gripped him wondering if something was wrong. Immediately he answered the call.

“Lizzie. Is everything okay? Are you alright?” He asked quickly.

“Yes Red I'm okay, but I can’t sleep.” She replied, the hint of breathlessness in her voice that piqued his interest. Listening closer, he could hear the rustling of sheets through the phone.

“Why can’t you sleep Lizzie?” He asked slowly.

“Well you see, my boyfriend went away on business three days ago and I’ve been quite wound up as of late, and I couldn't fall asleep until I did something to…unwind.” She ended with a sharp intake of breath. 

Instantly, realization came to Red, Liz was aroused and touching herself while talking to him. Rapidly his pants became way to confining as his engorged member made itself known. With sure fingers, Red released himself from his pants and took his length into his hand. He gently stroked himself to full hardness, swiping his thumb over the head of his twitching length every other stroke. 

“What are you doing right now Lizzie?” He asked in a deeper than normal voice, breathing hard. On her end she immediately picked up on his change of tone and quickness of breath and knew he got with the program.

“I’m touching myself Red. I’m running my fingers over my clit, pleasuring myself to thoughts of you….ahhhh!” She said as she brushed over her clit with her thumb.

“I’m touching myself too Lizzie, imagining your hand stroking me up and down, squeezing my cock in your hand…shit.” He said as a spike of pleasure ripped through him. “I’m close Lizzie. You drive me crazy. The way you touch me, tease me…oh baby.” Picking up speed on his strokes.

“I’m close too Red…so…so close…ohhhh.” The moan tearing from her throat as she applied pressure to her clit and interested a finger, curling it to hit her g-spot. “Red…I’m…I’m coming Red. Come with me…please.” She groaned into the phone.

“I’m there too Lizzie! Come for me, I want you to come hard. I want to hear you Lizzie.” He demanded as he felt his balls tighten. “Shit…Lizzie!” He groaned deeply as his cum shot up all over his hand and on his shirt clad stomach. Hearing Lizzie on the other end.

“Oh Red!” As he juices coated her hand still furiously curling her clit. Both breathing hard together, coming down from their mutual high. “That was…wow…Red…” She said still trying to catch her breath.

“Yeah it was.” Red replied coming back to himself. “But Lizzie, if you thought that was good, wait until I get my hands and mouth on you when I get back in a few days. I’m going to take you to places no man ever has or ever will.” With a dangerous tone in his voice, smirking as her heard her groan at that thought.

“Come back to me soon Red. Please.” She said, knowing she sounded needy and not giving a damn.

“I’ll be back in two days Lizzie. And I promise when I'm back I won’t be leaving you. I miss you so much sweetheart. Do you think you can sleep now?” He asked quietly. 

“I miss you too Red. So much. And I’ll definitely sleep now. In fact I'm drifting as we speak.” She answered sleepily. 

“Go to sleep them sweetheart. I’ll be back before you know it.” He said sweetly. 

“Try and get some rest. I love you.” Liz replied yawning into the phone.

“I love you too Lizzie. Goodnight.”

Red hung up the phone and tossed it to the side, he pulled his soiled shirt off his body, flinging it into the corner before his pants followed. He got up off the bed and double checked the lock on the door, no need to have Dembe come waltzing in, although now that he thought about it, Dembe has seen his bare ass on more than one occasion. Flopping back down onto the bed Red curled up on his side and submitted to Mr. Sandman.

Liz came down from her high slowly, that had been the first time she had ever tried phone sex and she had to admit, it was pretty hot. Mainly due to Red’s deep voice, he could recite the phonebook to her and her panties would be soaked. The sound of Soren whining and pawing at the door forced her to lift herself off the bed and go open the door. Instantly the black canine bounded into the room, looking around as if assessing the room for any danger, or looking for Red.

“He’s not here Soren.” Liz said as she walked back to the bed. Soren placed his two front paws on the bed near Red’s pillow, begging her to help him on the bed. Liz chuckled as she reached down and helped the pup up. Soren circled Red’s side of the bed, sniffing his pillow before laying his head on the soft down filled fabric.

"I miss him too boy." She said quietly to Soren as she stroked his fur, thankfully sleep found her quickly.

The next two days went by uneventfully enough, Mr. Kaplan came by to check her wounds daily, making she was resting and not overexerting herself. Liz was in the kitchen cooking dinner when she heard the front door unlock, open then close. She could tell by the rhythm of the footsteps and Soren's happy whines, that it was Red. A big smile to spread on her face when she heard his deep voice talking to Soren. Turning her back to the kitchen entryway, she continues to chop vegetables, wanting him to find her there. 

Not even a minute later she felt a pair of strong arms envelope her, pulling her back into a solid chest as he buried his nose into her hair. Putting down the knife, she covered his arms with her hands and let herself get pulled back completely against him. She felt him against her skin, pulling in deep breaths of her scent, causing a pleasant shiver to run the length of her body. 

"God I missed you." He breathed against her. Turning in his arms, she wrapped hers around his neck and brought his mouth down for a firm kiss. 

"I've missed you to Red. So damn much." She said, their lips meeting again. Red instantly deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth wanting to taste his Lizzie. Reaching behind her, Red turned the stove off. Hearing the click, Lizzie pulled back. 

"Hey! I was-" She didn't finish as he reclaimed her mouth. Reaching down under her thighs, he hauled her up wrapping her legs around his waist and started to carry her out of the kitchen. She felt his excitement against her core and quickly, got with the program. She let out a deep appreciative moan as his intentions become very clear.

Two hours, one shower and two sets of fresh clothes later, Red and Liz decided to take Soren to the park. Liz was more than happy to get out of the house after being cooped up for a week and a half. They walked the two blocks to the dog park hand in hand, just enjoying the fall weather. The closer they got to the park the more excited Soren got, pulling on his leash or doubling back and barking happily. 

“Lizzie, I’m going to grab coffee for Dembe. Do you want anything?” Red asked, he smiled as he watched Liz throw the ball for Soren.

She turned to him after the pup took off. “I would love a coffee too Red.” He nodded, dropping a kiss to her lips before heading towards the coffee stand a few meters away.

Liz watched him walk away from a moment before turning back to see Soren trotting towards her, the bright green tennis ball clamped tightly in his jaw. Liz crouched down and pulled the dog into a light hug before wrestling the ball from his mouth, as she stood back up her eyes locked onto a form standing a few feet from her. Fear immediately captured her body and must have been noticeable because Soren went into protective mode. 

Red had just handed Dembe his coffee when he heard Soren’s sharp bark, he turned his head towards Lizzie and was confused at first as to why she was holding onto Soren’s collar. Then he spotted him. Tom.

“What the…shit! Dembe come on.” Red high tailed it towards Lizzie with Dembe hot on his heels. The closer they got the louder Soren seemed to bark, almost as if he had been calling them over.

“Liz, please…how many times-” Red could hear Tom’s voice over Soren’s barking.

“What’s going here?” Red came up beside Liz, sliding his hand around her waist. Quickly Soren’s barks quieted down to low growls. Red looked down at Liz and saw the fear written all over her face, his whole body tensed, anger quickly came over him. Tom eyed Red with obvious distaste, anger and jealousy. 

“What the hell do you want? This is a private conversation between me and Liz.” Tom spat at Red. 

“She’s my girlfriend, and anything you need to say to her, you can say to me. Though I would prefer you just piss off because neither of us are interested in what you have to say.” Red replied in a deep dangerous tone. He didn't like Tom being this close to his Lizzie, and he felt his hackles rising the longer Tom was near her. Tom’s eyebrows raised.

“Robbing the cradle a bit here don't you think gramps? She's what…fifteen years your junior? Are you even still able to get it up and perform? I’m sure the bedroom is quite lacking isn't is Lizzie, going from me to him.” Tom pointedly said, trying to start a physical confrontation.

“Well I’ve never had to fake it with him Tom.” Liz couldn’t suppress the smile as Tom’s smug look was wiped from his face.

“I always knew you were a slut Liz.” Tom shot back.

Red had had enough of Tom’s mouth and moved to shut it but was stopped by Liz stepping in front of him with a hand on his chest. “Raymond don’t.” She looked to Tom. “Tom leave now!”

“Need her to protect you eh old man?” Tom goaded, he would love to take a swing at the guy.

“I’m not protecting him Tom, I’m protecting you.” Had she of been facing Red she would have seen the confused and hurt look on his face. “Tom I’m not going to ask you again. Leave before I call the cops.”

Tom looked from Liz to Red to Dembe, it seemed like he was trying to calculate his next move before he turned on his heel and marched away. Liz watched him until he was nothing but a speck against the trees before turning back to Red.

“Red I’m sor-” Her words died in her throat when she saw Red had attached Soren to his leash and was already a few meters away from her. Thinking he was on edge because of Tom she moved to catch up to him but was stopped by Dembe’s hand on her arm.

“Elizabeth.” Dembe just shook his head. “Don’t”

She rounded on Dembe. “What? I need to go see if he’s okay. Tom was an asshole and I ne-”

“He’s not upset because of Tom.” Liz was clearly confused. “He’s upset because of what you said to Tom, about needing to protect him from Raymond.”

“Why the hell should that upset him?”

“Why would you need to protect someone you hate?” Dembe gently hooked Liz’s arm through his elbow and they started walking back home. “Look at it from his perspective. Tom, your abusive ex-husband, shows up and starts insulting you and Raymond and when Raymond goes to defend you, you not only stop him but you flat out say you’re protecting your ex-husband.”

“Oh shit…” Realization slapped Liz right in the face. She didn’t mean for it to seem like she cared about Tom’s safety, she could care less about what happened to him. She just didn’t want Red to waste his time on Tom, she didn’t want to give Tom a reason to come after her. “Dembe I need to fix this. I need to talk to him. I don’t care about Tom, I just didn’t want Red to do something he’d regret.”

Dembe nodded his understanding. “He’ll allow you to explain but not until he’s calmed down. Let’s take our time walking back home, by the time we get back he should be calm enough for you to approach him.”

She tucked herself closer to Dembe, neither one of them noticing Tom watching them from afar.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Red forgive Liz? (hint there is lots of smut in this chapter...you've been warned)

Red slammed the front door hard enough to make Soren let out a startled bark. After he unclipped the dog from his leash Red headed straight for the bar and poured himself a generous amount of scotch, downing it in one go before pouring another. He walked to his bedroom, stripped his clothes off and went to the bathroom. Taking a snip of the liquor he turned the shower on and waited for it to reach his preferred temperature.

He grabbed his glass and stepped under the spray. He was pissed, he couldn’t understand why Liz had protected that piece of shit ex-husband of hers. The things he was saying to Liz, calling her a slut, bringing into question his virility and sexual prowess, Red wanted to break the man’s jaw. So focused in his anger, he didn't hear someone enter his bedroom.

When Lizzie and Dembe got back to the house, Soren greeted them happily at the door, but there was no sign of Red. Taking a moment to look around, they both noted the scotch tumbler sitting on the table in the living room, and finally the sound of a running shower met their ears. Liz looked at Dembe nervously, he gave her an encouraging nod, and she made her way upstairs to their room. Before entering, Lizzie steeled her resolve, she knew that she was going to be met with anger and venom from Red, and rightly so, she had hurt him. Although that was not her intention at the park, she can see how her actions would come across to Red, and they made her internally flinch. 

Seeing his clothes scattered around the room, she saw the open bathroom and could see him standing under the spray of the shower, arms braced against the wall just letting the water pass over his body. Quickly she stripped off her own clothes and made her way quietly into the steam filled bathroom. Quietly she entered the stall, not wanting to startle him, and pressed her naked form to his back, wrapping her arms around his middle. As soon as her skin came into contact with his, all the anger drained out of his system. They always fit so well together. He let out a pained sigh and sagged back against her, as hurt as he felt he couldn’t help the intense love he had for her. Liz buried her face between her shoulders and held onto him tightly. Red brought his hands up to cover hers and was mildly surprised to feel her shaking behind him.

“I’m so sorry Raymond. I’m so sorry.” She said in-between sobs. He leaned back against her, letting her cling to him, as he clung to her. After a few moments he turned around in her arms and his heart broke at the sight of her tear streaked face. Wrapping his left arm around her, keeping her body secure to his own, he reached up and tipped her chin up with his finger and looked into her eyes.

“Talk to me Lizzie. Tell me what’s going on, what happened back there, because right now I’m hurting.” He tried to hold back his pain, but it was too much for him, hot tears of his own streaked down his face waiting for her to help him. Reaching her hands up, she cupped his face between her palms, and brought his lips down to hers in a crushing kiss before pulling back and searching his watery eyes with her own. 

“Raymond. I wasn’t protecting Tom, I don’t give a shit what happens to that son of a bitch. But I do care, with every fibre of my being, about what happens to you. When I stopped you from hitting him back at the park, it may have seemed that I was protecting him, but I was only thinking about you. I didn’t want you to do anything that could give Tom any ammunition against you.” Leaning up, she pulled his face down to hers, resting their foreheads against each other. “I love you so much Raymond. I would have loved nothing more than watch you beat the hell out of Tom, but I couldn’t stand it if he came after you in retaliation. I’m so sorry that I hurt you Red. Please believe me that that was never my intention. I love you more than life itself, and I will always do whatever I feel is necessary to keep you safe. Always.” She finished, her eyes never breaking away from his own. She needed him to believe her. 

Red looked at her as she spoke, letting her words sink in. She really was protecting him and the hurt he felt had depleted halfway through her explanation. The love she had for him shone in her eyes and he immediately forgave her. He dipped his head, pressing his lips to hers gently. He felt her body sag against him as relief flooded her system.

“Please forgive me Red.” She said pulling back slightly, nudging his nose with her own. 

“Oh Lizzie. I’ve already forgiven you my love.” He said using his thumbs to brush away the remaining tears. His hurt forgotten, replaced by an all-encompassing warmth and love for the woman who is in his arms. Leaning back down, he recaptured her lips in a searing kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to deepen it. 

The stood there, water cascading down their bodies, mouths fused together and tongues entwined. His hands on her face, her hands sliding down his chest to his hips pulling his lower body closer to hers. A deep growl erupting from his throat, sending chills down her spine as she gripped him tighter. They pulled apart as the need for air became a necessity, their chests raising and falling in tandem with their pounding hearts. All the love they have for each other rising up around them among the steam of the shower.

Red moved to turn the shower off but Liz pulled him back to her. “Love me Red, please right here. I need you.”

He pinned her against the tile wall. “God yes Lizzie. I love you so much.” He lifted her up supporting her weight, her legs wound their way around his waist, squeezing him tightly like vice grips. She could feel him, hard against her already soaked centre. His hands slowly trailed down her body and his mouth attached itself to her neck. He was being very gentle which was normally fine with her but right now Liz wanted him badly.

She pulled his head up so their eyes locked, he groaned loudly at the heat behind her blues. “Fuck me Raymond.”

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, not entirely sure he heard her correctly. She dragged her nails down his chest leaving bright red marks in her wake, her eyes burning back against his. "Fuck me." 

“Lizzie? Are you sure?” While their sex life was in no way lacking, this was a first for them. He knew how he could get and he didn’t want to hurt her.

She ground down against him, hard. He crushed their mouths together, his tongue brutally invading her mouth. He loved her and would do anything she asked. He lifted her up higher so the head of his cock was resting her heat, making sure their eyes were locked he dropped her onto him, both moaning loudly as he surged into her. Her head dropped to his shoulder and he felt the sharp sting of her teeth digging into his skin. If she wanted it rough he’d give it to her rough. He adjusted his stance before pulling out all the way before slamming back into her.

“Oh fuck!” Liz gasped into his neck. Their position didn’t really allow for her to move much so she just clung to him. 

Red pulled out slowly wanting her to feel every inch of him, he wanted to leave no room for doubt that he was all man and he was all hers. He paused when he felt the head almost slip out and as soon as her eyes locked on with his, he whipped forward. Liz’s head snapped back, as scream of pure ecstasy ripped from her throat. Red set a fast, almost brutal pace, claiming her over and over again.

“Lizzie…Lizzie…Lizzie…” He moaned her name in time with his hard thrusts. He watched as her breasts bounced to the rhythm of their sex until he couldn’t take it anymore and leaned down to capture one rosy nipple between his lips. Liz’s cries rose an octave at the added sensation, she arched her back as best as she could, force feeding him her breast.

Red continued his forceful thrusts, feeling his whole body quivering in the effort to hold back his orgasm. While he knew that Liz didn’t agree with what Tom said, Red needed to prove that he was more than capable of pleasing her. He pulled out quickly before slamming back in deeply, again and again, going faster and harder with each high pitched cry that fell from Liz’s lips. 

“Oh god Red…close…so close baby.” Liz’s head snapped forward as her orgasm crashed into her with a force that she had never felt before. His name echoed around the bathroom in a pure unadulterated ecstasy filled scream. Red felt his control snapping and three hard thrusts later, her name fell from his lips in a primal groan, as he spilled inside of her. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over him in an orgasm that seemed to never end. 

Liz sagged against his solid chest, sucking in oxygen like she had just surfaced from being underwater. She felt him still moving inside of her, trying to hold on to his erection. Smirking, she grasped his ear between her teeth, sucking on the lobe before tracing the shell with her tongue. She felt rather than heard his deep growl.

“Lizzie… Jesus Lizzie.” He slowed his rocking before slipping completely out of her body. Both moaning at the feeling. She brought her mouth down to his in a gentle kiss as she unravelled her legs from his waist, he lowered her gently and almost lost his footing as her hand wrapped around him.

“Up for round two I see.” She giggled. He turned his upper body and shut off the shower which had now become quite cold before following her out of the shower. She kept ahold of him as they walked to the bedroom, not even bothering to dry off.

Red tried very hard to concentrate on everything other than her hand wrapped around him but was failing. “Mmm Lizzie, you feel good wrapped around me like that.”

She smiled at him and stopped walking when they got to the foot of the bed. She moved to kneel in front of him keeping her eyes locked with his. His breathing hitched as her tongue flicked out, collecting the drop of pre-cum that had gathered. She let her tongue swipe over the head a few more times before sucking him into her mouth, moaning loudly when she tasted herself on him. Red’s head snapped back and his hands immediately went to her hair, gently messaging her scalp. After a few moments Red pulled her away.

“Too close.” Was all he offered as he helped her stand up. In one fluid movement Red put both hands under her arms and threw her onto the bed. He laughed at the little squeal she gave as she landed in the middle of the bed. He climbed on after her and quickly covered her body with his, grabbing her lips with his. He kissed her sweetly, peppering kisses on the corners of her mouth before letting her slip her tongue into his mouth to meet his tongue. 

Red slid down to kiss and suck her breasts as one hand skimmed down the length of her body, stopping between her legs to caress her inner thighs. Liz’s breathing increased in anticipation of where he was going. Red slipped his hand around to give her supple ass a good squeeze, feeling her wet core brush up against his stomach. Liz was beyond ready for him and his super slow movements where driving her insane. He shifted, putting most of his weight on his forearm. He moved his hand from her ass back to her centre and very gently massaged her clit with his thumb. 

“Oh god Ray…baby please…” He smirked against her nipple and ever so slowly slipped his middle finger into her, groaning when she gripped his finger with her inner muscles. He played her like an instrument, her sighs and moans like music to his ears. Her nails scraped the back of his skull as he alternated between sucking her nipples and rubbing her clit. She was dangerously close and wanted to feel him insider when she came.

“Ray…baby.” She pulled his head up to look at her. “I want you inside me. Please.”

He pressed his mouth to hers and sat up on his knees, he reached for her hips to pull her closer to him but was meet with resistance. The quizzical look he gave her quickly transformed into surprise as she rolled over, another new thing for them. He sighed as he gently stroked her lower back, his right hand gripping his erection slowly pumping a few times before shuffling closer to her. She rose up, bracing her hands on the head board as he spooned her, the soft tickle of his cheat hair on her back sent shivers down her spine.

“Oh Lizzie Lizzie Lizzie. So beautiful, all mine.” Red cooed in her ear, messaging her hip with his hand. She pushed back against him, trapping his arousal between his stomach and her ass. “Such a tease my love.”

He guided his cock to her wet opening, his other hand sliding down her arm and covering her hand, his grip tightening over her as he slowly slid into her warmth.

“Oh god Red.” This angle made him feel even bigger inside her, her inner muscles danced around his cock as he kept pushing forward. “Jesus…so big baby…mmmm so good.”

Red nipped at the base of her neck as he bottomed out. “Fuck Lizzie…so tight like this…so wet.” He waited a few moments, allowing her to adjust to the new position. When she pushed back against him, he leaned back gripping her hips in both hands and slowly started to stroke inside her.

Liz let her head fall forward, resting on the edge of the headboard as Red continued his slow pace. After the way he fucked her in the shower she was more than happy to let him make love to her. After a few minutes she stared pushing back against him every time he surged forward, his grip on her waist tightening. She felt her climax rapidly approaching, her moans and gasps spilling from her lips uncontrollably. She let go of the headboard and pressed her back to his chest, one hand came up to cup the back of his head the other reaching behind her to grip his hip. 

“Faster baby…I’m so close…please.” She begged, gasping as his hips picked up speed and momentum. One hand let go of her hip and wrapped around her midsection holding her tightly to him. She turned her head and brought his mouth down to hers as she approached the edge.

Red thrust his tongue into her mouth, fighting with hers as he felt his orgasm drew near. He felt her nails dig into his skull as she clenched around him. He swallowed her cries of pleasure as her climax ripped through her body, her release triggered his and he emptied himself into her with a few more hard thrusts. They clung to each other as their bodies spasmed, their breathing coming out in laboured gasps. Still joined, Red twisted them to lie down on their sides, he slowly slid out of her, relishing the tremor that overcame her. She turned in his arms and looked at him through lust laden eyes, he gently stroked her cheek.

“I think it’s safe to say that I proved Tom wrong.” The boyish smile on his face made her giggle.

“Oh there was never a need to prove what was already well known.” She placed a kiss to his lips. “Are we okay Red?”

He pulled her closely, covering their cooling bodies with the blankets. He tucked her under his chin. “We are perfect Lizzie…just perfect.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom just won't go away!! Not to fear Red is here!!!! (if you like Tom do not read this chapter lol)

The last couple of weeks were not the best that Liz had ever experienced. She had been stabbed which landed her in the hospital, then Tom had confronted her and Red in the park which caused some tension between her and Red. Then not six hours after making up, Red had to leave for an emergency meeting in Chicago and that was four days ago. She passed the time by reading, cooking, napping and going to the park with Soren, this medical leave was starting to irritate her and she still had another week and a half left. 

She was laying curled up on Red’s side of the bed reading her novel when she felt something nudge her shoulder. Lowering her book, she looked over her shoulder and saw Soren sitting beside the bed with his leash in his mouth, tail wagging happily back and forth. She looked at her watch, and noted it was time for their daily trip to the park. She rolled over and she ran her fingers through Soren’s jet black fur, causing the pup to drop the leash and emit a content sigh. She swung her legs off the bed, picked up the leash and headed downstairs. Slipping into her shoes, she clipped the leash to Soren’s collar and headed out the door. Just as she pulled the key from the lock her phone rang, she didn’t need to check the caller ID, only one person had that ringtone.

“Hey babe.” She said sweetly into the phone.

His laugh greeted her ears. “I love it when you call me that. Hello love. How are you?”

“I’m good. Getting ready to take Soren out to the park for his afternoon walk. How're you? Did your meeting and everything go alright?”

“I’m doing well, miss you terribly though. Yeah everything is fine, just some cold feet. I’m thinking of grooming Dembe to be able to take these meetings himself so I can stay close to you. I don't work well when you're not close by.” He admits shyly, knowing she can't see his blush through the phone. “I’m actually on my way home now. I’ll be home in about an hour.”

“I’ve missed you too Red. So much. And not that I would complain if you stayed with me a lot more, but I don't want to jeopardize your business in anyway. Not that I’m saying Dembe isn't capable, because I know he is. I just know how anal you are about your work.” She replied.

“None of it is more important than you Lizzie. You are my future, my second chance, and I’m not going to let anything or anyone jeopardize that. We’re about to land Lizzie, so I will see you very soon sweetheart. I love you Lizzie more than anything.” He said to her. 

“I love you too Raymond. I can’t wait to be back in your arms.” She said, feeling a bit emotional as she realized just how much she's missed him the past couple of days. 

“Soon my love.” He intones quietly. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you soon.” She replied before hanging up. ‘God I love that man.’ She thought to herself, feeling a large smile grace her face. 

The weather that day was beautiful, the sun was shining and the temperature was simply perfect in her opinion. Not too cold, but brisk enough to warrant a light jacket. She and Soren made their way to park down the road, picking up a small coffee from a street vendor on the way. Once there, Lizzie unleashed Soren and took his tennis ball from her pocket. Immediately Soren sat, waiting for the ball to take flight. Cranking her arm back, Lizzie chucked the ball as far as she could, Soren took off like a lightning bolt to retrieve it. She took a moment to look around the park, it wasn’t as busy as it normally was but there were a few other people. Knowing how overzealous Soren could get with other dogs, she slowly made her way to a more secluded section of the park. A minute later, Soren returned with the ball in his mouth, a proud look on his face as he released into Liz’s hand. Sitting without being told, he waited for take two. She released, and he took off. 

Watching Soren tear through the park, Liz couldn’t help but admire his strength and speed. For a dog that was breed for military duty and was shot to boot, he was an incredibly loving and vivacious dog. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Tom watching her from behind the trees. She saw Soren returning to her and crouched down to scratch his chest and nuzzle the fur in his neck, before taking the tennis ball. 

They stayed at the park for ten more minutes before making their way back home. As soon as Liz unclipped Soren he bolted down the hall to his water bowl and then everything happened so fast. She felt a hand in her hair and was roughly pulled off her feet. Her back connected with the wall sending shocks of pain through her. Soren was barking like crazy and she could hear him running down the hall. She opened her eyes in time to see him latch onto Tom’s arm and let out a cry when Tom delivered a brutal punch to Soren’s side. Immediately the dog let go and dropped to the floor, Tom reached down and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him over to hallway closet tossing him inside slamming the door shut. Liz tried to stand, tried to get her head clear before Tom could come after her again. She failed.

The backhanded slap that Tom delivered sent her back to the ground, she could taste blood in her mouth and struggled to spit it out. She screamed as Tom grabbed her ankles and pulled her away from the wall before straddling her. She tried to punch him, tried to buck him off her but he was too heavy, too strong and it ended up causing him to slap her again. Dazed and confused she barely registered the feeling of Tom flipping her over and duct taping her hands behind her back. She felt him pulling her sweatpants down, taking her panties with him. She tried desperately to get away, tears streaming down her face as the realization of what was about to happen dawned on her. Her screams turned into a single word.

“RAY! RAY! RAY!” 

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Tom grabbed her hair and painfully pulled her head back holding the knife to her throat, yelling in her ear. Her tears feel harder when she felt him rock hard behind her under his jeans. She didn’t listen to him, she continued to scream Red’s name, hoping that somehow he would hear her and magically appear to save her. The weight of him against her back made her feel like she was suffocating, she wiggled and squirmed and fought with everything she had to try and get him off of her. She was going to be damned if she just lay still and allowed this to happen. She heard the rustling of Tom unbuckling his pants and suddenly the weight was lifted off her. 

She heard his voice yelling. “DEMBE HELP LIZZIE!” and the tears fell ever harder as she realized that Red was here, he was here and he had saved her from Tom. He had heard her cry and came to her rescue. She felt her pants being pulled back up and immediately she was stood up and saw the worried face of Dembe before turning her attention to the commotion on the other side of room.

Red and Dembe had pulled around the corner and could just make out Liz entering their home at the end of the block, Red had Dembe by pass the house and stop at the flower store a block away and picked up a bouquet of lilies, Liz’s favourite, before heading back to the house. The minute his foot hit the first stone step he heard a muffled call of his name, thinking she had seen him he slowly made his way up the stairs. He heard his name two more times, but something was different, it was more of a cry than a call. Then he heard Toms voice and within a nanosecond his front door hung off its hinges. He could hear Soren barking madly but couldn’t see him, the sound of Liz crying brought his attention back to the closed doors.

He ripped open the sliding doors to the living room and saw Lizzie on the ground crying with her pants pulled down and Tom Keen on top of her undoing his pants. Red’s vision blurred before the rage filled him, he lunged forward and grabbed onto Tom’s shoulders, hauling him up and throwing him across the room.

“DEMBE HELP LIZZIE.” He yelled before pouncing on Tom. 

His fist connected with Tom’s mouth, splitting the lip before connecting again and again. Jumping off Tom, Red leaned down and pulled Tom into a stand position before driving his fist into Tom’s stomach, relishing in the sound of the air being forced out of Tom’s body. Not caring that Tom was probably too weak to fight back, Red threw him against the wall before whipping around to look at Liz.

“Red look out!” Liz cried.

Tom’s fist landed on Red’s jaw just as he turned around, making the older man stumble. Tom capitalized and took Red to the ground, he was able to land a couple good shots to Red’s face and side. Red felt his eyebrow and cheek split open and the pain of a rib cracking. He bit back the cry as he worked to regain the upper hand. Red grabbed Tom’s shirt and roughly pulled down as he sat up, violently bringing his forehead to meet Tom’s nose. Tom fell back howling as the blood poured out of his nose, through the blurriness of tears Tom spotted the knife laying a few inches from him. Quickly he snatched it up and lunged for Red, Liz cried out as she watched the knife sank a few inches into Reds shoulder. 

Tom retracted the knife and moved to stab Red again but dropped the knife and grabbed his nose as Red landed a swift punch. Red moved slighting wrapping his arm around Tom’s neck and brought him to his knees. Red’s grip tightened as his other arm came up on the other side of Tom’s head, holding him in place. Red locked eyes with Liz and she took a sharp breath in at the cocktail of emotions that were playing in them. Three parts intense two parts scared six parts anger, with several dashed of passion. His arms tightened even more around Tom’s neck, his eyes never leaving hers as he violently jerked his upper body. 

The sickening sound of Tom’s neck snapping jarred Red out his blind rage, his grip immediately loosening. He watched as Tom’s lifeless body drop off to the side hitting the floor with a thud. At that moment the weight of what he had just done slammed into his chest and brought Red fully to his knees. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Tom’s body, he wanted so badly to look at Liz but he was afraid to see the look of the horror and fear that was surely playing behind her eyes. He closed his eyes and waited for the yelling to start, he waited for her to call him a murder to tell him that she wanted him out of her life. When he felt her nudging his cheek with her nose he couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears.

“Raymond untie me please, I need to hold you.” Her soft words spurred him into action and he twisted his body and picked up the knife, it wasn’t until he saw the blood on it that he felt the burning pain in his shoulder. He ignored his pain and quickly cut the tape off of her wrists. 

“Lizzie I-” He started but she cut him off with a firm kiss, trying to convey her love and gratitude.

“Raymond, it’s okay. I love you and you did what you had to do to protect me, to protect us. Tom wouldn’t have stopped unit one or both of us were dead. This was self-defence.” She peppered kisses around his face. “I love you so much Raymond.”

“I love you too Liz.” He managed before passing out.

Eighteen hours later, Red and Liz walked through the front door of Red’s villa in Milan, both parties dead tired. After Red had passed out, the pain and blood loss from his shoulder wound proved to be too much for him once the adrenaline left his system, Liz frantically called Cooper and within minutes the EMT’s and her team had arrived. Ressler accompanied her to the hospital and after four painstaking hours Red was released with care instructions and a goodie bag of medical supplies and painkillers. They immediately went back home, packed two bags and flew to Milan. Dembe and Soren where waiting for them in the jet and as soon as they boarded the black dog rubbed up against them, whining and licking them. Almost as if he was sorry that he couldn’t protect them back at the house. 

They got halfway up the stairs before Liz found herself pushed up against the wall by Red’s solid body. His mouth fused with hers in an almost brutal kiss, teeth clashing and tongues dueling for dominance. Being mindful of his sling incased arm, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, hooking on leg around his hip. He went to lift her up, momentarily forgetting about his injuries, and cried out when they made themselves known. Liz quickly pulled away, cursing and mentally smacking herself.

“Red, babe you have to slow down or you’re going to hurt yourself.” Liz said her voice filled with worry. 

“I know, but right now I need you close to me. I need to feel you.” His sucked in a couple deep breaths to help subside the pain. She unhooked her leg from around his waist and slipped her hand into his. Tugging on his hand she led him to the bedroom. 

Once inside she slowly undressed before turning to him and very carefully helped him with his clothes. She started with the easy stuff first, slipping off his shoes and socks before taking off his pants. She left his boxers on and moved to work on the buttons of his dress shirt. Once they were undone she moved behind him and gently undid the sling around his shoulder. He couldn’t stop the hiss of pain that shot through him as his shoulder was lifted slight in order to slip the sling completely off. Getting out of his shirt produced more grunts of discomfort as his cracked rib came into play.

Slipping her hand into his she grabbed the bag of medical supplies and they made way to the bathroom, leading him over to the sink. She opened the bag and pulled out a pill bottle, and new dressings for his shoulder and placed them neatly on the countertop. Turning away she turned the shower, letting it heat up. She moved back to him and began the slow process of removing the bandages from his shoulder.

“The Doctor said you can’t get your stitches wet for the first twenty-four hours so we need to put that sticky plastic wrap on it if you want to shower.” As she spoke she grabbed the aforementioned item along with medical tape and scissors. 

He leaned against the sink resting his lame arm against his stomach, holding onto his elbow with his good hand. She leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. “I’m sorry baby but this is going to hurt. I have to make sure that wrap is firmly on there.”

“It’s okay sweetheart.” Giving her another kiss he took a deep breath in and braced himself. She worked as quickly as she could, applying the plastic wrap. She told him to count to three and pressed down hard, tears stung her eyes at his cry of pain. She knew it wasn’t her fault but she still hated that he was in pain. She finished quickly and pulled him in for a kiss, mumbling apologies against his lips.

They stepped into the shower and Red pulled her back against him, wrapping his good arm around her chest. He held her for a few minutes, before he started to run his hand all over her body. She could tell by the pressure he applied that there was nothing sexual about this. Liz knew he needed to reassure himself that she was still alive and unharmed. An affirmation of sorts. She pressed herself back into him, showing her appreciation for his attentiveness. He pushed her under the spray, wetting her hair thoroughly, before she reached for his shampoo. Pouring some into his hand she turned around and he gently washed her hair. His movements were methodical and gentle, soothing in nature. Once he finished with her hair, he motioned for the body wash and loofah and with the same care washed her body, trying wiping away the events of the day. Once he was done cleaning her, switched places. Liz took the same amount of time and care massaging his scalp with his shampoo, and washing his body as he had with her. 

When she was sure he was completely suds free Liz pulled Red towards her. He let out a content sigh as her fingers gently raked though the hair on his chest. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb gently gliding over the cut just below her lip from where Tom and slapped her After a few minutes the water started to get cold spurring Liz into action. Stepping past Red she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, giving Red her hand as he followed. Reaching past him, Liz grabbed two warm towels off of the heated towel rack and dried his body before her own. Throwing the towels to the side, Liz once again slipped her hand in his and led him to the bed.

“I gotta take this off and put a fresh dressing on you Red.” He just nodded and sat on the side of the bed. She went back to the bathroom returning a few seconds later. She quickly pulled off the sticky wrap and put the fresh dressing on him, taking her time and being extra gentle. She helped him back into the sling, securing it firmly before disappearing into the bathroom again to throw out the wrap. When she returned, she stopped in her tracked as she watched Red body sag forward and the tears slide down his face.

“Oh Raymond.” She made her way to him, pulling his to her stomach. She felt the heavy sobs rack his body and she held him to her, gently trailing her hands up and down his back, soothing him. She held him as he shook, she could feel his tears along her stomach and felt tears of her own pricking up. “Shh baby, it’s okay. I’m okay, you saved me. You did what you had too”

“I saw you…naked…with Tom above you…about to…and I just lost it." As his sobs subsided, he pulled back and looked at her. “I was just gonna put him to sleep, then I looked at you and saw what he did and…I’m not sorry I killed him…I would do it again in a heartbeat…does that make me a terrible person?”

“God no! Raymond, you saved me. Tom was about to rape me and I’m pretty sure he would have killed me if you hadn’t shown up.” She took a breath. “That bastard got what he deserved. Please Raymond don’t dwell on this.”

"I love you so much Elizabeth."

“I love you too Raymond.”

Today’s event rocked them both to the core, the reality of how fragile and fleeting life could be was overwhelming. Red brought his hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek, pushing back loose strands of hair as she wiped away his tears with her thumbs. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by him tugging her down and his tongue wrapping around hers. Liz groaned into Reds mouth and pushed herself closer to him, stepping between his legs.

“Marry me Elizabeth.” He pulled back and said seriously, his eyes conveyed his sincerity. “I know this isn’t the most romantic proposal ever and this isn’t just because of what happened today, well maybe it is a little bit bu-” She slanted her mouth across his, effectively shutting him up.

“Yes Raymond I will marry you.” She replied with just as much as intensity. “I love you, and I want to be your wife.” Another kiss. “Your lover.” She gently thrust her tongue into his mouth eliciting a moan from both of them. “Your partner.” She raked her nails through his short cropped hair at his neck, pulling him deeper into her. “Yours Raymond.” She finished. 

He scooted back against the head board and Liz couldn’t help but smirk at his obvious excitement. She wanted him too but she didn’t want to cause him anymore pain.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked as she moved to straddle him.

“Yeah, just got to go slowly.” He wrapped his good hand in her hair and guided her lips to his, immediately slipping his tongue into her mouth. He moaned loudly as her hands tangled in his chest hair and gave a firm tug. 

“My Elizabeth.” He breathed as she shank down onto him.

“My Raymond.” She breathed back.


	10. Epilouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well ladies and gents we have now come to the conclusion of our story. Thank you so much for reading and We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it!

“Susan? Are you ready to go sweetheart?” Liz called up the stairs. Standing at the foot of them she heard the pitter patter of tiny socked feet against the hardwood floor upstairs as the little girl came running down the hall, her father hot on her heels.

“I’m gonna get ya.” Red growled playfully, causing a delighted squeal of laughter to escape from the five year old. 

“Mommy! Save me fwom daddy!” The little girl said, giggling as she made her way down the stairs as fast as her tiny legs could take her. Red slowly made his way down after her, his fingers flexing in a tickling motion making infectious giggles and squeals leave the little girls mouth. At the bottom, Liz had her arms outstretched and quickly scooped up the child in her arms, saving her from the clutches of Red. Once Susan was securely in Liz’s embrace, she spun around joining in laughter with her daughter, delighting at the bright smile on Susan’s face. Not a second later, Liz felt Reds arms wrap securely around her and their daughter, lifting them and spinning around and let out a hearty chuckle. 

There was nothing in this world Red loved more than his family. The one of happiest day of his life was when he stood by Liz and watched her bring their beautiful daughter screaming into the world and getting to hold her. Since he found out Liz was pregnant, Red had dialed down on his business dealings, especially the travelling portion stating he had no desire to be more than a mile away from his family. When Liz found out she was pregnant, she was still working out in the field, granted it was limited field work but when she saw how stressed it made Red, so she spoke to Cooper and they gave her a position as a full time profiler. The best part of this job was she could do it from anywhere, all she really needed was her laptop. 

Stepping back, Red reluctantly released his girls and Liz put Susan down on the ground crouching to help her put on her shoes, jacket and knit hat. Straightening up, she turned to see Red holding her jacket open for her, helping her ease into it, placing a lingering kiss to the back of her neck as she swept her hair to one side. Moving around her, he opened the door to see Dembe standing on the side walk with Soren, the dog was eagerly making circles in anticipation for their daily walk to the park. 

“Are my girls ready?” Red asked looking from Liz to Susan.

“I’m weady daddy!” Susan said holding out her hand to him which he quickly envelopes in one of his own. Holding out her other hand to her mother. Together, they all make their way down the street, stopping by a street vendor to get the three grown-ups coffee and a hot chocolate for Susan. 

Once at the park, Dembe hung back with Soren, warmly watching the loving family stroll leisurely in front of him. Raymond and Elizabeth always made a handsome couple he thought, but now with their little one in between them the picture was complete. As they walked slowly under the trees, Dembe occasionally heard Susan say;

“Mommy daddy swing me pwease!”

Red and Liz counted to three and then swung her back and forth a couple times before lowering her to the ground, giggling happily. ‘This is what is truly important in life’ Dembe thought with a protective eye scanning the surrounding area, Soren doing the same on alert with a watchful eye on his masters. Though typically Soren was an intimidating and scary looking dog, the day Red and Liz brought Susan home from the hospital, he was instantly smitten. Where he used to sleep with Red and Lizzie, now every night he could be found lying at the foot of Susan’s little bed, her vigilant protector. 

At the end of the day, true happiness can't be found in a wallet nor is it a tangible object. Rather it’s being surrounded and making memories with the people you love, family. Neither Red nor Lizzie thought that they could ever be this happy, to have one another, a family. 

Later that night, standing in the bathroom, Liz looked down at the object in her hand and she couldn’t help the huge smile that broke out across her face. Turning the light off, she padded across the room and slid into bed beside Red. She watched him as mark his place in his book, laying it down on the nightstand. Turning his own light off, bathing the room in moonlight, he turns and lays on his side, while Lizzie lays on her back raking her eyes over his features. 

“I love you Raymond.” She whispered into the quiet of the room, finding his left hand with her own and bringing it to over to lay it on her shirt covered abdomen, splaying his fingers so his palm is flat against her tummy.

“I love you too Elizabeth. So much.” He whispered back, he leaned in and placed a soft loving kiss to her lips. 

Instantly she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth, moaning at the taste of him. Slowly she pushed his hand down towards the waistband of her shorts. She smirked against his lips at the whine he emitted when instead of continuing south she pulled his hand back up and under the hem of her nightshirt. Feeling her smile against his lips, he pulled back and looked questioningly in her eyes. He’s seen that twinkle before.

“Lizzie?” He asked softly. Seeing her smile brighten, she answered his silent question.

“I’m happy to tell you, that your vigorous and frequent attempts to make Susan a big sister, have been successful.” She beamed. Instantly she felt the slight pressure of Red pushing against her tummy, his eyes instantly fell to where his hand. She remembered fondly the first time she told him they were pregnant. The level of his happiness and excitement was something she’d never seen before, and his second reaction is just as beautiful as tears started to pool in his eyes.

“Oh Lizzie. Thank you.” He said earnestly, leaning back in to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. 

“It was a team effort love.” She whispered against his lips, letting out a small squeal as Red pulled her over to straddle him, both her palms planted on his chest. Leaning down, Liz placed a loving kiss right above his heart, rubbing her nose against the hair there. She kissed her way up to his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth, she pulled back a little and caught his eyes in a loving gaze. 

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” She whispered to him. 

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.” He recited back to her. Since Susan came along, Winnie the Pooh had become a staple bed time story. This was happiness though. This was home. And that is all they would ever need. 

The End


End file.
